United Airlines is planning to resume four flights to Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai, according to a report from Forbes.

According to the report, the American carrier said in an employee memo that it is planning to “pencil in four China routes in the June schedule” and that it will “continue to workout the feasibility of restarting passenger service to China.”

When asked to confirm whether United plans to resume the China routes, a spokesperson from the airline said the following in an email sent to Business Traveller Asia-Pacific: “We continue to evaluate the feasibility of resuming service to China if and when passenger service is permitted but we have not made any announcements about restarting service at this time.”

United has already cut its flight schedule for May by 90 per cent and said it expects to announce similar reductions to its June schedule. In a memo published on its website from chief executive Oscar Munoz and president Scott Kirby in April, the carrier said it expects to fly fewer people during the entire month of May than it did on a single day in May last year.

Currently, the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) is limiting the number of international flights coming in and out of China in order to curtail the rise of imported coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the country, the aviation regulator said in a statement on its website in March. Foreign airlines are only allowed to maintain one route to China with no more than one weekly flight.

China has also barred all foreign nationals, including those holding a work visa or residence permit, from entering the country.

China to bar entry to all foreigners

united.com