China plans to extend curbs on international flights until June 30 - U.S. embassy

BEIJING — Chinese civil aviation authorities plan to extend until June 30 their curbs on international flights imposed to restrain the spread of the coronavirus, the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in a travel advisory on Friday.

China has drastically cut such flights since March to allay concerns over infections brought by arriving passengers. A so-called “Five One” policy allows mainland carriers to fly just one flight a week on one route to any country and foreign airlines to operate just one flight a week to China.

Washington last week accused Beijing of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service to China. The U.S. Transportation Department said in an order published on a U.S. government website that Delta Air Lines and United Airlines want to resume flights to China in June.

U.S. airlines are not flying to China at all because they suspended services before the Civil Aviation Administration of China(CAAC) adopted the flight curbs.

When asked about the U.S. embassy statement, a CAAC news department official told Reuters there is no change to the existing rules. (Reporting by Stella Qiu and Se Young Lee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez & Shri Navaratnam)