Delta says China flying ‘remains fluid’ after plane turns back

Future Delta Air Lines Inc. service to China “remains very fluid” after a flight from the U.S. to Shanghai was turned back because of the procedures needed to clean and disinfect the airplane, the carrier said.

The flight returned to Seattle in order “to be compliant with cleaning mandates required at Shanghai Pudong International Airport that were issued by the Chinese government on Dec. 21,” Delta said in a statement. 

The requirements, which would have significantly extended ground time, are “not operationally viable,” the airline added. The changes were announced on the same day the Delta flight reversed course.

It wasn’t clear which Chinese government agency is imposing the sanitation procedures that prompted the Delta flight to turn back. China is stepping up Covid-related restrictions as the government seeks to stamp out an outbreak in the city of Xi’an, with the Beijing Winter Olympics set to begin in early February.