In response to China's decision to allow foreign airlines not currently serving the country to resume service on June 8, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has revised a previous order banning mainland Chinese airlines from serving the U.S.
In an order issued June 5, the DOT said that effective immediately, it will permit a total of two weekly roundtrip flights from Chinese carriers, "an aggregate level of scheduled passenger services that would be equivalent to that permitted by Chinese aviation authorities for U.S. carriers."
Currently seven mainland Chinese carriers are
operating U.S. flights, each limited to one flight per week: Air China,
China Eastern, China Southern, Beijing Capital Airlines, Hainan
Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
On June 4, the Civil Aviation Authority of China eased a March 26 Covid-19-related order that had limited service to the country only to carriers that were flying to China as of March 12. Under the new order, all foreign carriers not currently authorized to serve the country could begin offering one flight per week to the entry point of their choice beginning June 8.