Trump administration bans flights by Chinese airlines – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

Why this step?

• The move, announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation, penalizes China after Beijing failed to comply with an existing agreement on flights between the world’s two largest economies.
• Relations between the two countries have also soured in recent months amid escalating tensions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Why this step?

• President Donald Trump’s administration said on Wednesday it will bar Chinese passenger carriers from flying to the United States starting on June 16 as it pressures Beijing to allow U.S. air carriers to resume flights.

What was the Agreement?

•  The order allows Chinese carriers to operate one flight to the US for each flight that nation grants to American carriers, the agency said.

Which US Carriers are suffering?

• Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have asked to resume flights to China this month, even as Chinese carriers have continued U.S. flights during the pandemic.
•  Delta said in a statement on Wednesday that “we support and appreciate the U.S. government’s actions to enforce our rights and ensure fairness.”

Delta and United are flying cargo flights to China

•  Delta had requested approval for a daily flight to Shanghai Pudong airport from Detroit and Seattle.
• United had asked to fly daily to Shanghai Pudong from San Francisco and Newark airport in New Jersey and between San Francisco and Beijing.
• Both carriers appealed to the Civil Aviation Authority of China, but did not receive a response.

To put in Perspective…

•  More than 8.5 million passengers traveled on direct flights between the United States and China in 2018.
• United flew about 17 percent of those passengers, second only to Air China’s more than 19 percent.
• Delta ranked fifth, behind China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, carrying just over 10 percent of passengers.

Chinese are flying Scheduled and Charter Flights

•  The Chinese carriers are flying no more than one scheduled flight a week to the United States but also have flown a significant number of additional charter flights, often to help Chinese students return home.
• The Trump administration is also cracking down on Chinese passenger airline charter flights.
• Administration officials have suggested charter flights have been used to circumvent Chinese government limits on flights.

US Didn’t Impose Restrictions

•  On Jan. 31, the U.S. government barred from entry most non-U.S. citizens who had been in China within the previous 14 days due to the coronavirus crisis but did not impose any restrictions on Chinese flights. Major U.S. carriers voluntarily decided to halt all passenger flights to China in February.

China has not responded yet…

• China “remains unable” to say when it will revise its rules “to allow U.S. carriers to reinstate scheduled passenger flights,“.
• The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond.
•  The Trump administration on May 22 accused China’s government of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service.
•  China’s aviation authority told American officials that it was considering amending its rule, but it has not said “definitively” when that might happen.

US Dept. of Transportation Said:

• “The Department will continue to engage our Chinese counterparts so both US and Chinese carriers can fully exercise their bilateral rights,”
•  “In the meantime, we will allow Chinese carriers to operate the same number of scheduled passenger flights as the Chinese government allows ours,”
• US Dept. of Transportation Said: “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.

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