American Airlines Group is set to resume service to China on Wednesday, bringing to 10 the number of weekly flights by U.S. carriers as they rebuild operations suspended early this year because of the coronavirus. American will fly twice weekly between Dallas-Fort Worth International and Shanghai Pudong International airports, with a stop in Seoul, a spokeswoman for the carrier said. The airline will fly to Beijing’s new Daxing International Airport, rather than the previous destination of Beijing Capital, when that route resumes on March 27. US airlines suspended service to China in February as the spread of the coronavirus decimated international travel. They have been bringing flights back as customer demand rose and the US government approved the flights. Delta resumed serving China in June, and now operates two weekly flights from Seattle and two from Detroit, both stopping in Seoul before heading on to Pudong. United in October restarted service four times a week between San Francisco and Pudong.<br/>
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Cathay Pacific will resume flights between Hong Kong and Auckland with two services a week starting Friday, November 27. The airline describes it as a small but potentially significant step and the announcement comes following the establishment of a full quarantine-free travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore. Cathay's Auckland flights are in addition to the Air New Zealand operated codeshare flights which will continue to work with Cathay Pacific to operate three flights-per-week in November and two flights-per-week in December. Stringent testing and quarantine requirements remain at each end of the flights. Cathay Pacific regional GM – South West Pacific Rakesh Raicar said: "I'm thrilled to be able to share some positive news on the return of Cathay Pacific to New Zealand skies. Although far from business as usual, I'm pleased to say our return is a small but significant step." Exporters will also welcome the flights as freight space out of New Zealand will be tight this summer. The airline had been operating two flights a day to Auckland as well as Christchurch services during last summer, before the pandemic struck. Passengers flying into Auckland on the new flights will need to abide by New Zealand border controls, including reserving and securing their place in a managed isolation facility before they board their flight as part of the New Zealand Government's Managed Isolation Allocation System. Kiwis travelling to Hong Kong undergo a saliva test for Covid-19 on arrival and are required to submit the health declaration result to the staff of the Department of Health.<br/>
Russian carrier S7 Airlines has reconfigured a pair of Airbus A319s to increase premium accommodation on the type for high-demand business routes. The carrier has fitted just 96 seats to the aircraft, including 24 in the business-class cabin. S7’s A319s have featured a single-class arrangement with 144 seats, while Airbus puts typical two-class accommodation at 110-140 seats. The Russian operator describes the modification as the ‘A319 Extra Edition’, and states that it will be used for corporate requests as well as scheduled services with high business-passenger demand. “We’ve noticed high interest in special transport from the corporate sector,” says S7 Group strategy chief Grigory Davydov. “We would previously have had to take the aircraft out of the regular schedule, which often involves additional costs.” But Davydov says the modified A319 enables the carrier to be “more flexible”. Its economy-class cabin, with 72 seats, has a larger pitch at 34in.<br/>