Changes to international flights and visas in China

More airlines will be able to operate flights into the country, while measures are taken to boost business travel.

China.- With casinos in China eager to recover the ground lost during Covid-19 lockdown measures, authorities are preparing changes regarding visas and international flights.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has adjusted policies to allow more foreign carriers to resume flights to China on a once-a-week basis starting from June 8.

From next Monday, airlines will have to choose a qualified Chinese city for entry and will be able to file pre-flight plans for the period to October 24, 2020.

In March Covid-19 related restrictions caused airlines that operate foreign flights to be allowed only one inbound route with no more than one flight a week.

The new policies include a mechanism through which if all inbound passengers on a flight test negative for the novel coronavirus for three weeks in a row, the operating airline will be allowed to increase the number of flights to two per week.

The change is part of the country’s attempt to boost travel following the pandemic. It has also approved procedures to restart essential business travel between Singapore and China from June 8 as part of what had been dubbed the “fast lane” agreement.

However, business travellers will initially have to undergo quarantine periods of up to 14 days, and must agree to be tested and to bear the costs of potential hospitalization and treatment. They will only be allowed to move in hire cars, taxis or transport provided by their company, not on public transport.

Also aiming to boost business travel, a larger number of visas are being issued to Japanese citizens who travel to China.

Japan Times reported that the move is aimed to bring business exchanges between the two countries back to normal, adding that China had recently issued visas to Japanese people entering Shanghai and Guangdong Province.