DoT Willing 'To Revisit Our Action Should The Chinese Aviation Authorities Adjust Their Policies'

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an order disapproving future schedules that Chinese carriers have filed with the Department over the past several weeks pursuant to our original May 22nd Order.

This order is effectively an administrative action designed to maintain the parity in scheduled passenger services between U.S. and Chinese carriers announced by the Department earlier this week.

That parity gives the carriers of each side the ability to operate four (4) round-trip scheduled passenger operations each week. The Department has conveyed to our Chinese counterparts that this order is a procedural matter only and that it should not be viewed as an escalation on our part.

"The Department has clearly ruled that the public interest requires scheduled passenger services by Chinese carriers only to the extent permitted by Order 2020-6-6. The Department thus finds that any proposed scheduled passenger services by Chinese carriers in excess of or different from those services permitted by Order 2020-6-6 would be adverse to the public interest. Therefore, the Department hereby disapproves all such proposed schedules that have been filed before the Department in response to Order 2020-5-4. Service under these proposed schedules shall not be
inaugurated..."

The Department continues to indicate our willingness to revisit our action should the Chinese aviation authorities adjust their policies to bring about the necessary improved situation for U.S. carriers in which both they and the Chinese carriers could fully exercise their bilateral rights.

FMI: www.transportation.gov