United States suspends passenger flights from China beginning 16th of June

The United States issued an order yesterday seeking to suspend passenger flights from China from 16 June. The Trump administration said that the step was taken in retaliation to China's refusal to let US airlines resume flights to China. The order still needs final approval from US President Donald Trump.

The US Department of Transportation order applies to four airlines - Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines - which have continued to fly between the two countries during the pandemic, although at reduced levels.



The Trump administration has said it would continue to "engage" on the air travel issue.

Beijing in March said domestic and foreign airlines could operate no more than one weekly flight between China and any given country, adding that carriers could not exceed the level of service they were offering on 12 March. The Department of Transportation said the March order had effectively banned US airlines, which had voluntarily suspended service between the two countries in February due to the coronavirus pandemic.