[Epoch Times, January 13, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Li Yan comprehensive report) The Chinese Communist Party on Wednesday (January 12) ordered the suspension of six U.S. flights in the next few weeks. With the Beijing Winter Olympics just around the corner, the number of cancelled US-China flights has increased to 70. Netizens who have been unable to return home under the epidemic lamented that returning to China has become an “impossible task”.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on Wednesday that it will suspend two other United Airlines flights from San Francisco to Shanghai after seven passengers were on the latest flight due to COVID-19, a virus caused by the CCP virus. disease) tested positive.
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China will also suspend four China Southern Airlines (China Southern) flights from Los Angeles to Guangzhou starting the week of January 31, a move that will also affect return flights in February.
When the CCP cancels flights, overseas Chinese who want to return to China have to pay for sky-high air tickets, and even so, they may not be able to find them.
A search on China’s popular Trip.com on Wednesday showed few nonstop flights from the U.S. to China for the rest of January; in February, Delta’s every Tuesday flight from Seattle to Shanghai was priced at about 40,000 yuan ($6,285).
“Going back to China now feels like an impossible mission. More and more flights are suspended,” said an angry netizen on Chinese social media platform Weibo in a Tuesday post. “I haven’t been home for two years. .”
Before the latest round of flight cancellations, three U.S. airlines and four Chinese airlines operated about 20 weekly flights between the two countries, according to Reuters data. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were more than 100 weekly flights.
Airlines for America, a trade group representing United, Delta, American and others, said American was “concerned about the impact of flight disruptions and continues to assess the impact on operations. We are working with U.S. Communicate with the Chinese government to determine a path forward that will minimize the impact on travelers.”
Netizens: Two tickets have been fused
As Omicron spreads around the world, the Beijing Winter Olympics are about to open on February 4. As part of the virus “zeroing out” measures, the CCP has been suspending air routes with various countries. On Wednesday, a total of six flights from France and Canada were suspended. The suspension of flights between the U.S. and China has surged since December.
Netizens said on Weibo that the recent four-week circuit breaker has already caused some flights to be cancelled in February.
“I bought a ticket for the third time, and I hope I can successfully go back from Seattle…” a netizen said, “Two tickets have been fused, and I hope the third one will allow me to return to China smoothly.”
Another netizen said: “The flight of China Southern Airlines CZ328 on Sunday in February was just changed to Friday, and now it seems that the group will be destroyed in February. Is this…will it be changed again…”
Some netizens have begun to ask if the flight in May will be okay.
Analysts say the CCP’s desperate attempt to “zero out” COVID-19 cases could further disrupt the economy.
Last week, Hong Kong, which also took the “zero” measure, announced a two-week ban on inbound flights from eight countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States.
The U.S. and China have clashed several times over air services since the pandemic began.
Last August, the U.S. Department of Transportation capped the capacity of four Chinese Airlines flights at 40% for four weeks after Beijing imposed the same restrictions on four United Airlines flights.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in September last year that China had closed its borders to almost all travelers and cut the total number of international flights to just 200 per week, equivalent to 2 percent of the pre-pandemic level.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#
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