China air travel rebound to ramp up with push for more US flights

China’s international air travel market will extend its recovery, with the nation’s aviation regulator expecting the number of weekly flights to hit about 80% of the pre-Covid level by the end of the year.

Weekly international passenger flights may increase to 6,000 by the end of 2024, from more than 4,600 currently, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement following its annual work meeting. There were fewer than 500 flights per week at the beginning of 2023, it said.

The regulator will also push for a “significant increase” in direct flights between China and the US, according to the statement. CAAC didn’t provide further details, but the plan is part of an agreement struck between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in November. 

Chinese appetite for overseas trips has been slow to recover since the removal of Covid restrictions, with hurdles including a shortage of flight capacity, geopolitical tensions and a fragile economic outlook that’s hurting consumer sentiment. 

The resumption of direct flights between China and the US has been particularly sluggish. There were just 63 per week by the end of 2023, according to CAAC, compared with 340 before Covid.

CAAC expects 690 million passenger trips this year, both domestically and internationally, up 11% from 2023. It’s also set to expand traffic rights with Belt and Road nations and deepen cooperation with regions including Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.