China to ease restrictions on int'l flights from Jan. 8

Passengers wait to check in for the first direct flight between Shanghai and Athens at Athens International Airport, Greece, on Dec. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China will remove certain COVID-19 restrictions on international passenger flights from Jan. 8, 2023, to prudently resume the operation of the flights, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Wednesday.

From Jan. 8, domestic and foreign airlines will operate scheduled passenger flights in accordance with bilateral transport agreements, with limits on numbers of flights no longer applicable, per a circular released by the administration.

The country will no longer identify high-risk inbound flights, nor will it limit the passenger load factor for inbound flights at 75 percent.

China will gradually resume accepting applications for international passenger charter flights from domestic and foreign airlines, and fully restore pre-pandemic processes and requirements in the summer and autumn of 2023.

Closed management, nucleic acid testing and quarantine measures for inbound flight crews and related airport personnel will be removed, and efforts will be made to increase publicity, strengthen guidance and supervise the use of face masks by passengers.

Faced with a high COVID-19 import risk, the administration issued a circular in March 2020, restricting the number of international flights operated by domestic and foreign airlines.