U.S. Allows More China Flights Before Peak Summer Travel Season

(Bloomberg) — The U.S. will allow further direct flights with China, though they still remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

Starting March 31, Chinese airlines will be permitted to fly 50 round trips a week between the two countries, up from 35 currently, the U.S Department of Transportation said in a statement Monday.

The decision, which came after an earlier increase in October, “is in the public interest,” the U.S. department said in the statement. “We believe that our present action is a significant step forward in further normalization of the US-China market in anticipation of the summer 2024 traffic season,” it said.