(Yicai Global) July 2 -- China’s aviation regulator has grounded Sichuan Airlines Flight 3U8392 from Cairo, Egypt to Southwest China’s Chengdu for one week, the agency announced yesterday in its second 'circuit breaker' order suspending an air route because of Covid-19-infected passengers since it issued corresponding rules on June 4.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China made the ruling after six passengers on the flight turned up positive in tests on June 27, the CAAC said in its statement, adding flights subject to the stop order may not fly other routes.

The CAAC and other regulators devised the carrot-and-stick circuit breaker and incentive measures from June 8 based on the number of travelers coming back red in nucleic acid tests after inbound flights land, the watchdog announced in a notice it issued on June 4.

The fuse is tripped when five passengers on one airline route show positive. If fewer than 10 are, the flight is shelved for one week. If 10 or more return positive, the halt is for four weeks.

China Southern Airlines' Flight CZ392 from Dhaka, Bangladesh to Guangzhou triggered the off-switch on June 14 after 17 infected passengers surfaced on June 11. The CAAC idled the flight for one month from June 22 in the first such order since the rules took effect.

Editor: Ben Armour