(Yicai Global) July 25 -- The number of international flights to and from China were only back to 44 percent of the number before the Covid-19 pandemic as of the end of June, and the task of ‘increasing international flights’ was included as a government work task for the second half in a meeting of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee held yesterday.

There were 3,368 flights scheduled each week from Chinese airports to other countries as of June 30, just 44 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest data. Airlines now fly to 62 countries, a return to 82 percent of the number before Covid-19.

The recovery of international flights is slower than expected compared to domestic flights, which is already higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to a semi-annual work conference held by the Civil Aviation Administration of China earlier this month.

The load factor of international flights in the first six months was only 67.5 percent, 12.4 percentage points lower than before the pandemic, Song Zhiyong, director of the Civil Aviation Administration, said at the conference.

The recovery of international travel is being held back by a number of factors. For one, group tours to Japan, South Korea and Australia have not yet resumed. Also, many visa application centers that were closed during the pandemic have not fully reopened, resulting in longer visa application times for travelers.

And a lot foreign airports do not have sufficient supporting facilities, the marketing department of a domestic airline told Yicai Global. Airlines and airports in many countries laid off staff during the pandemic, and are having trouble recruiting experienced staff. It takes time to train new hires.

Bilateral air traffic rights negotiations are another issue. For example, China and the US require air traffic rights negotiations based on the principle of reciprocity, and the US is reluctant to add flights. As a result, the number of flights between China and the US is still only 6.5 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Rates of Recovery

There is also a big difference in the speed of international flight recovery depending on the country, Yicai Global has learned.

Southeast Asia was the most popular regional destination in the week July 17 to July 21, accounting for 42.9 percent of international flights, according to a report by Flight Master. South Korea was the most popular country, followed by Thailand.

But, in terms of recovery rates, flights to the UK are the highest at 96.7 percent. The Middle East comes second at 75.8 percent, Singapore follows at 71.5 percent, Australia at 63.9 percent, South Korea at 60.4 percent. But those to Europe are only at 48.5 percent.

There is reason for optimism, though. The number of international flights in the second half should reach between 60 percent and 65 percent of pre-pandemic levels, said Song.

Air China expects the number of international flights to be back to 70 percent of the number before Covid-19 by the end of the year, and that over the course of the year there will be between 50 percent and 60 percent of the number of flights in 2019. China Eastern expects its global flights to recover to between 60 percent and 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter and to over 80 percent by the end of the year.

Editor: Kim Taylor