China Discusses Abolishing COVID-19 'Circuit Breaker' for Flights

Preparing to Lift Suspension of Flights with Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Bloomberg Reports Citing Sources

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung] Bloomberg News reported on the 4th (local time) that China is likely to abolish the 'circuit breaker' policy that suspends flights with confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The news agency, citing sources familiar with the matter, said, "The State Council of China has requested government agencies, including the civil aviation regulatory authority, to prepare to end the circuit breaker policy," adding, "This signals that the authorities are looking for ways to ease the impact of the zero-COVID policy."

The 'circuit breaker' policy under review by the State Council suspends flights for 1 to 2 weeks depending on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among passengers arriving in China. Hong Kong had already discontinued this policy last July.

Sources told the news agency that this discussion is part of the 'three-phase plan' devised in mid-year to normalize China's aviation industry. The first phase involves increasing flights to China, and this measure is part of the second phase. Earlier, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced plans to more than double international passenger flights from last month through March compared to the same period last year, and airlines such as China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have also stated they are considering increasing flights.

After the circuit breaker policy is abolished, the final phase will be a full return to normal flight operations. However, the State Council and CAAC did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment on the matter's accuracy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.