(Yicai Global) June 16 -- Chinese airlines have been given the permission to continue to operate four flights to the US and back each week after the States threatened to block access earlier this month amid Covid-19 control measures.

"As the Chinese government allows more flights by U.S. carriers, we will reciprocate," the US Department of Transportation said in a statement yesterday. Before this, the bureau had suggested that Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Xiamen Air should stop their regular routes.

On June 3, the US transport department said it will suspend all Chinese airlines' flights to the country, effective by today, citing the Chinese government's failure to "permit U.S. carriers to exercise their bilateral rights to conduct passenger air service to China."

China's Civil Aviation Administration had stipulated that foreign airlines would be allowed to fly just one flight a week to China while the country seeks to avoid a second wave of Covid-19 infections. By yesterday, authorities had given US applicants the green light for two weekly flights each, according to the CAAC.

There were only two US applicants. China's aviation authority gave the go-ahead for Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to start operating a total of four roundtrip routes between China and the US every week.

Delta expects to fly from Seattle and Detroit to Shanghai, starting the first option next week, the Atlanta-based firm told Yicai Global. United has applied to go from San Francisco to Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai, as well as from New Jersey's Newark to Shanghai but no dates have been announced yet.

Editor: Emmi Laine