UK and China to restart direct passenger flights

The Government of China and the UK have agreed to resume direct passenger flights between the two countries with the easing of Covid-19-induced travel curbs.

The Flights between the two countries were suspended after China imposed a ban on flights from the UK because of fears for a new coronavirus strain in late 2020.

The British Embassy in China, in a statement on its official social media account, has written that the UK Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China formally agreed to recommence flight operations between the two countries.

Initially, Chinese airline companies will offer the services while the British airliners are still working on the routes.

The agreement between the two nations comes after the recent Chinese announcement of relaxing Covid-19 restrictions for international passengers.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) reduced the suspension time for passengers found to have Covid-19 travelling via scheduled inbound international flights.

The norms came into effect on 7 August 2022 with an objective to facilitate cross-border personnel movements and international exchanges and cooperation.

China also reduced the mandatory quarantine period to seven days in June, and direct flights to Beijing are resuming for the first time since 2020.