Delta Air Lines
U.S. Airlines Plan to Increase Direct China-U.S. Flights Amidst European Suspensions
Amidst a wave of European airlines suspending flights between China and Europe, some U.S. carriers have decided to increase direct flights between China and the United States.
Delta Air Lines announced yesterday that it will resume direct service from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Los Angeles (LAX) starting in June 2025, with three flights per week. This move comes at a time when many European airlines have halted their China-Europe routes, but U.S. carriers are stepping up to add more direct flights between China and the U.S.
Despite the fact that both the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) expressed last year and this year their intentions to significantly increase direct flights between the two countries, the reality has been challenging.
With the cost pressures from European and American airlines having to avoid Russian airspace, Chinese carriers have been making efforts to maintain routes, but the recovery rate of China-U.S. flights is still below 30%.
Delta’s new flights use the additional flight rights approved by China and the U.S. in February this year.
At that time, the agreement indicated that airlines from both countries could operate a total of 100 scheduled passenger flights per week, with 50 flights allocated to each side.
Now, over half a year has passed. Chinese airlines, numbering six, have already filled all 50 weekly flights, while U.S. carriers have yet to fully utilize their 50-flight quota.
Before the pandemic, there were as many as 150 direct flights between the two countries every week.
The path to fully restoring China-U.S. routes remains long, but there is hope for a brighter future.
