China opens zero-COVID gate a crack with more international flights

China's plan to increase international flights through next March reflects the strain on Chinese airlines from the country's zero-COVID policy, which shows no sign of ending. The 840 flights weekly -- incoming and outbound combined -- between late October and late March will be around twice the figure from a year earlier. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced the plan on Oct. 26. China Southern Airlines, the country's largest carrier, has resumed service on several routes including Dalian-Tokyo and Guangzhou-Jakarta. Air China restarted flights between Hangzhou and Rome. The aviation agency's move marks China's first announced increase in international flights for the October-March period since the pandemic began. But even after a doubling of flights, they remain far below pre-pandemic levels. Chinese authorities have kept a tight lid on inbound and outbound travel as part of the country's containment strategy against the coronavirus. When inbound travelers have tested positive for COVID-19, the number of infections has been used to set limits on future flights. Chinese regulators talk with airlines and airports to set six-month quotas for international flights. CAAC's decision to expand flights reflects the agency's predicament: how to sustain the industry without crossing Beijing's red line on COVID-19. Story has more details.<br/>