US rejects additional flights sought by Chinese air carriers

US officials rejected additional flights proposed by Chinese airlines but said they would reconsider if the Beijing government adjusts its policies affecting American passenger carriers. In a statement late Friday, the DoT said it disapproved service schedules submitted by four China-based carriers that are currently allowed to make four combined flights to the US each week, plus additional proposals submitted by three other Chinese carriers. The department said the action was “effectively an administrative action designed to maintain the parity in scheduled passenger services between US and Chinese carriers” that it announced earlier this week. American officials have relayed to their counterparts in Beijing that the move is a “procedural matter only and that it should not be viewed as an escalation on our part,” the DoT said. The department added that it “continues to indicate our willingness to revisit our action should the Chinese aviation authorities adjust their policies to bring about the necessary improved situation for US carriers in which both they and the Chinese carriers could fully exercise their bilateral rights.”<br/>