CHINA's rigid approach to Covid infection has left the world's second-largest economy all but shut off from international travel, with fewer than 500 inbound flights scheduled this week, compared with about 10,000 this time two years ago, Bloomberg reports.
Capacity cuts are intensifying as China tries to snuff out virus flare-ups with aggressive lockdowns. Since mid-December, airlines have eliminated almost 1,000 flights that would have arrived in the country between now and February 1, the start of the Lunar New Year - typically the busiest time for travel anywhere on the planet.
Despite the difficulty every country faces in containing the omicron strain, China is persisting with attempts to keep the virus out. Authorities have blocked dozens of air services to and from the US because passengers on previous flights tested positive for Covid after arrival, adding to tensions between the two nations.
And there won't be a bump in incoming traffic for the February 4-20 Beijing Winter Olympics either. China has banned non-resident spectators from attending what would normally be a sure-fire draw for tourism as thousands of fans, athletes and journalists fly in. The host of the last Winter Olympics, South Korea, saw a 15 per cent jump in arrivals in 2018, the year of the event.
China will probably issue special landing permits and special flight clearances for the Olympics, and then reinstate the restrictions on regular flights, said Mark Martin, founder of Dubai-based Martin Consulting LLC.
Reductions from mid-December represent the elimination of about one-third of an international flight schedule that was already cut by more than 90 per cent from the year before the pandemic.
'We don't expect international travel to and from China to recover to 2019 levels for the next three quarters at least,' said John Grant, OAG's chief analyst. The stance has cost airlines revenue, 'especially as China had been among the fastest-growing markets, with a large number of affluent travellers eager to see the world.'
Flights between China and key destinations like Europe, Japan and North America are even lower now than they were a year ago.
While long-distance flying has lagged the short-haul recovery globally, other nations have seen more foreign trips restored, especially in the West.
US airlines have brought back 77 per cent of pre-pandemic international capacity, while the UK is around 47 per cent, based on data from flight tracker OAG. While Singapore and Australia have gradually started to reopen, external arrivals remain tightly limited in Asian nations such as Japan.
Hong Kong is following China's lead and then some, last week banning flights from eight countries including the US, UK, and Australia. From Sunday, flights from places the government deems high risk won't even be able to transit through Hong Kong for at least a month. That ruling covers about 150 countries and territories.
China's hardening approach continues to drive down inbound capacity from last year's levels, a time when many thought the worst of the pandemic was over.
Capacity from Southeast Asia has fallen to 124,411 seats for January from 182,182 a year earlier, data from Cirium show. On the cusp of the pandemic in January 2020, the figure was 6.32 million.
SeaNews Turkey
Capacity cuts are intensifying as China tries to snuff out virus flare-ups with aggressive lockdowns. Since mid-December, airlines have eliminated almost 1,000 flights that would have arrived in the country between now and February 1, the start of the Lunar New Year - typically the busiest time for travel anywhere on the planet.
Despite the difficulty every country faces in containing the omicron strain, China is persisting with attempts to keep the virus out. Authorities have blocked dozens of air services to and from the US because passengers on previous flights tested positive for Covid after arrival, adding to tensions between the two nations.
And there won't be a bump in incoming traffic for the February 4-20 Beijing Winter Olympics either. China has banned non-resident spectators from attending what would normally be a sure-fire draw for tourism as thousands of fans, athletes and journalists fly in. The host of the last Winter Olympics, South Korea, saw a 15 per cent jump in arrivals in 2018, the year of the event.
China will probably issue special landing permits and special flight clearances for the Olympics, and then reinstate the restrictions on regular flights, said Mark Martin, founder of Dubai-based Martin Consulting LLC.
Reductions from mid-December represent the elimination of about one-third of an international flight schedule that was already cut by more than 90 per cent from the year before the pandemic.
'We don't expect international travel to and from China to recover to 2019 levels for the next three quarters at least,' said John Grant, OAG's chief analyst. The stance has cost airlines revenue, 'especially as China had been among the fastest-growing markets, with a large number of affluent travellers eager to see the world.'
Flights between China and key destinations like Europe, Japan and North America are even lower now than they were a year ago.
While long-distance flying has lagged the short-haul recovery globally, other nations have seen more foreign trips restored, especially in the West.
US airlines have brought back 77 per cent of pre-pandemic international capacity, while the UK is around 47 per cent, based on data from flight tracker OAG. While Singapore and Australia have gradually started to reopen, external arrivals remain tightly limited in Asian nations such as Japan.
Hong Kong is following China's lead and then some, last week banning flights from eight countries including the US, UK, and Australia. From Sunday, flights from places the government deems high risk won't even be able to transit through Hong Kong for at least a month. That ruling covers about 150 countries and territories.
China's hardening approach continues to drive down inbound capacity from last year's levels, a time when many thought the worst of the pandemic was over.
Capacity from Southeast Asia has fallen to 124,411 seats for January from 182,182 a year earlier, data from Cirium show. On the cusp of the pandemic in January 2020, the figure was 6.32 million.
SeaNews Turkey