China urges US airlines to ensure passengers' legitimate rights, interests: MFA

China urged US airlines to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of the passengers, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.

Zhao made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to news that talks are underway between the US and China on possible changes to the Chinese government's new aircraft-cleaning requirements that prompted a Delta Air Lines flight to turn back to Seattle and could trigger the cancellation of some flights.

"A number of China-bound flights from the US have been delayed or canceled. American Airlines abruptly canceled flights just hours before take-off, and a Delta Air Lines flight even turned back more than halfway to its destination, causing huge losses to Chinese passengers," said Zhao. "The Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in the US have provided assistance to the passengers affected and immediately lodged solemn representations with the airlines concerned."

"According to media reports, relevant crew members said that the flight return was caused by China's entry ban, which is not consistent with the facts," he added. "The embassy has noted that US airlines are facing severe staff shortages as flight crews are reluctant to go on duty due to the fear of COVID-19 infection, which has led to widespread cancellations of domestic and international flights in the US."

Zhao noted that Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in the US have been in touch with airlines to understand the specific technical issues involved and explore solutions to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

(Cover photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)