(Yicai Global) May 22 -- The Civil Aviation Administration of China has reminded airlines not to sell tickets for international flights before receiving approval. China placed curbs on international travel from March 26 to slow the spread of Covid-19, restricting each airline to one international flight per country a week.

The restrictions remain very much in place, the CAAC said in a recent notice, adding that it is unlikely to approve any new routes until the policy changes. The controls led to an 85.3 percent plunge in the number of flights in the first week to 108.

If a route has not been approved, airlines cannot begin ticket sales for those flights, the regulator said, and international flight plans by both domestic and overseas carriers must be submitted at least one month in advance.

Overseas carriers, including United Airlines, Delta Airlines and Lufthansa, are also eager to resume flights to China, an industry insider told Yicai Global.

Editor: Kim Taylor