DOT ISSUES MODIFIED ORDER SUSPENDING 44 FLIGHTS FROM CHINA
February 10, 2022
On January 21, 2022, DOT issued an Order to further modify its decision in Order 2020-6-1, which suspended the scheduled passenger operations of all Chinese air carriers to and from the United States. In the original Order, DOT explained that it called for the suspension because China had impaired the operating rights of U.S. carriers by denying them the “fair and equal opportunity” to operate passenger flights to China in 2020.
Recently, China instituted a new “circuit-breaker” measure under which it automatically suspends the international flights of an air carrier for at least two weeks if passengers on any inbound flights test positive for COVID-19. The measure has affected U.S. airlines including United Airlines, Delta Airlines, and American Airlines, as 44 of their flights have been prohibited from operating to China. In response to this, DOT issued its new Order calling for the suspension of 44 flights planned for operation by several Chinese carriers to counter China’s continued banning of inbound flights from the U.S. The U.S.’s suspension will affect 44 flights typically operated by Air China, Beijing Capital Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines and will affect the airlines’ operations for at least the next several weeks.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6665).
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