[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] As Chinese aviation authorities have eased restrictions on foreign airlines' operations, the domestic aviation industry is on high alert for the potential resumption of flights on China routes in the near future.
According to the aviation industry on the 6th, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has decided to allow foreign airlines to resume flights to China starting from the 8th. The target cities include a total of 37 cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing.
Regarding this measure, the CAAC will adjust the number of flights for each airline based on the COVID-19 test results of passengers. If all passengers test negative for three consecutive weeks, the frequency will increase from once a week to twice a week, but if more than 10 positive cases are detected, flights will be suspended for four weeks.
However, the industry expects the effect of this measure to be limited because the basic 'one airline, one route' policy has not been lifted. Currently, according to this policy, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, and Jeju Air each operate one flight per week to Shenyang, Changchun, and Weihai, respectively.
The industry had initially raised expectations that Chinese authorities might ease aviation regulations following the Two Sessions (Lianghui: National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) held in May. Last month, preparations were even underway to resume China route operations starting this month.
On the other hand, some believe that Chinese authorities may use this easing of controls as a starting point to expand air traffic with certain countries. In fact, the Chinese state-run Global Times reported on the 5th that "Chinese aviation authorities may appropriately increase flights to some countries that meet the conditions," mentioning South Korea, Japan, the United States, and Singapore.
An industry official said, "At present, the number of flights is important, but the resumption of route operations is more crucial, so there is no immediate benefit from this measure," adding, "The key interest lies in how much more the Chinese authorities will open the skies in the future."
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