US, 4 Chinese airlines suspend 44 flights… “Corresponding Retaliatory Measures”

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on the 21st (local time) that four Chinese airlines had suspended 44 flights from the U.S. to China.

According to the Associated Press, the Ministry of Transportation announced on the same day that the Chinese authorities are taking countermeasures corresponding to the suspension of 44 flights, including United States Flight 20, American Airlines Flight 10, and Delta Air Lines 14.

At the time, China insisted on suspending flights to China, including United Airlines, saying that some passengers tested positive for COVID-19.

This measure will come into effect on the 30th from Los Angeles to Xiamen, China. The target is flights from the United States to China operated by China Xiamen Airlines, Air China International, China Nanfang Airlines and China Dongfang Airlines.

The Ministry of Transportation emphasized that China’s suspension of US flights “is an act against the public interest and requires corresponding corrective action.”

China immediately protested the Joe Biden administration’s decision. The Chinese embassy in Washington said the measures to suspend some U.S. flights after confirming cases of COVID-19 were “applied in a fair and open manner toward Chinese and overseas airlines.”

The Chinese embassy also criticized, “The US action to suspend operations of Chinese airlines is very unreasonable and urges us not to suspend or restrict scheduled flights operated by Chinese airlines.”

[서울=뉴시스]