U.S., China Double Weekly Flights Between Them

The US and China will approve twice the number of passenger flights currently permitted for air carriers to fly between the two countries, the Biden administration said, in a rare sign of cooperation between the world's largest two economies, David Shepardson reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: The agreement between Beijing and Washington, which have sparred on many fronts, comes after China on Thursday lifted pandemic-era restrictions on group tours for more countries.

The US Transportation Department (USDOT) said it would will increase the number of Chinese passenger flights allowed to fly to the US to 18 weekly round-trips on Sept. 1 and increase that to 24 per week starting Oct. 29, up from the current 12.

It said the Chinese government will agree to the same increase for American carriers, confirming a decision reported earlier by Reuters.

The agreement between Beijing and Washington, which have sparred on many fronts, comes after China on Thursday lifted pandemic-era restrictions on group tours for more countries, including key markets such as the US, Japan, South Korea, and Australia.

USDOT said the first tranche of flights was approved to start Sept. 1 "to meet an anticipated increase in demand around the start of the academic year."

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