Listen to this article

US President Donald Trump’s administration has confirmed the US will block Chinese passenger airlines from traveling to the United States starting on 16 June. The US Department of Transportation made this move and it was supposedly in response to Beijing rejected to allow US air carriers to resume flights to the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Department is now putting more pressure on the Chinese government. The Transportation Department issued an order on Wednesday. It says, “Our overriding goal is not the perpetuation of this situation, but rather an improved environment wherein the carriers of both parties will be able to exercise fully their bilateral rights. Should the Chinese aviation authority adjust its policies to bring about the necessarily improved situation for US carriers, the Department is fully prepared to revisit the action it has announced in this order”.

The recent order will take effect on 16 June and apply to Air China, Hainan Airlines Holding Co., China Eastern Airlines Corp., and China Southern Airlines Co. It is noteworthy that Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have pushed for China to be allowed to resume more flights operating between both countries. The airlines stopped services in March after the widespread pandemic but now await approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of China to return. The aviation authority currently allows airlines only to operate the same number of flights that were operated on 12 March. The Department said, “China effectively precludes US carriers from reinstating scheduled passenger flights to China”.

Delta airline said, “We support and appreciate the US government’s actions to enforce our rights and ensure fairness”. China allowed its own carriers to maintain just one weekly flight to any given country in late March. Both Delta and United airlines have asked to also be allowed limited flights as transportation increases. The US State Department said it protested this situation to the Chinese authorities. The department repeatedly objected to China’s failure to let US carriers fully exercise their rights and to the denial to US carriers of their right to compete on a fair and equal basis with Chinese carriers.