China to loosen flight restrictions after outcry from stranded citizens

BEIJING: China will loosen a cap on flights into the country that was imposed to block coronavirus infections from abroad, authorities said Wednesday, after fierce criticism from citizens stranded abroad. The country drastically cut international flight routes in March and slapped an entry ban on most foreigners over fears about importing a second wave of infections. Authorities currently allow domestic and foreign airlines to maintain only one weekly route either to or from China. But from June, the number of permitted flights will nearly triple to 407 per week, Civil Aviation Administration of China Li Jian said in an interview with state media. That is still just a fraction of the roughly 9,000 flights a week handled by the country’s airports before the pandemic.

The move comes after thousands of frustrated social media users vented their anger on the CAAC’s official Weibo page, often with expletive-laden comments about the high price of tickets on the limited number of flights.