US expands flights from Chinese airlines to four per week
>> The U.S. government will allow Chinese airlines four flights a week into its airports, an expansion following China’s announcement it would permit the same number of operations by the Americans. The Transportation Department said it’s seeking a return to pre-pandemic flight levels and would grant additional flights to Chinese airlines if that nation relaxes restrictions on U.S. carriers. In early January, there had been approximately 325 weekly scheduled flights between the two countries. That fell to only 20 per week by four Chinese carriers by mid-February.
Delta receives approval from Shanghai to resume flights
>> Delta Air Lines has received approval from the Shanghai government to resume flights from June 18, paving way for the carrier to resume services to China after months of suspension due to COVID-19. It is still awaiting for the decision from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on how many flights it can resume and when it can do so.
China reimposes restrictions in Beijing to contain fresh outbreak
>> Chinese authorities were reimposing some travel restrictions in the capital as they worked to contain a new coronavirus outbreak and prevent it spreading more widely. China reported 40 more coronavirus infections on Tuesday, 27 of them in Beijing, bringing the city’s total to 106 since Friday.
China's patchy air travel recovery portends lasting pain for oil
>> While China’s domestic flight capacity on main routes has already recovered to within 7% of year-earlier levels, international capacity is still down by 95%. The uneven recovery in China has resulted in demand for jet fuel getting back to about 70% of pre-virus levels, according to Beijing-based consultancy SIA Energy.
Other aviation markets like those in Europe which don’t have the cushion of a large domestic base will struggle to get to that level. Joseph Gatdula, head of oil and gas analysis at Fitch Solutions, doesn’t expect global jet fuel consumption to fully recover until 2026.
Wyndham opens five new Ramada hotels in China
>> As travel re-emerges, China’s largest international hotel franchisor Wyndham prepares to meet budding domestic demand. Wyndham announced that it will add five new hotels to its Ramada by Wyndham brand this quarter in China, with three of the hotels already open.
China’s travel recovery gains steam: Families are planning summer vacations
>> McKinsey’s latest traveler survey shows a strong desire among Chinese families to resume their travel plans. Domestic destinations remain a top choice in May due to outbound travel restrictions, with 52% of respondents preferring this choice versus 55% in April. Guided group tours remain less attractive to travelers than self-guided and self-driven trips, compared with pre-COVID-19 traveler patterns.
