After an agreement was reached between the two governments, major American airlines have been permitted to resume their flights to China.

The agreement is both a relief as it deescalated a potential travel conflict between the two and a concern for epidemiologists.

American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Line all had flights to and from China. However, after the outbreak of the global pandemic, the users dropped significantly until it was outright stopped after a travel ban in February that was imposed by the US government.

Throughout the whole pandemic, four Chinese airlines had a limited flight schedule of one plane per week that flew from China to the US. When two US airlines tried to resume flights to China however, the Chinese government refused to grant permission.

The US Department of Transportation quickly balked, saying that the Chinese refusal was a violation of flight agreements based on the principle of mutual reciprocity. The US government went so far as to announce that they will not allow any Chinese planes to land in the US.

The American decision was retracted after both governments agreed to allow four flights each week between the two countries. The US agency welcomed the decision while their Chinese counterparts have yet to release a formal announcement.

American Airlines indicated that they will resume flights starting in October, while the other two airlines have not yet decided their exact schedules. Prior to the pandemic, some 300 round flights took place between the US and China on a weekly basis.

The conflict over aviation schedules are only one part of a much bigger tension and battle for global hegemony between the two global superpowers, heightened after the outbreak of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China.

The two governments have clashed over who has the bigger responsibility for letting Covid-19 turn into a global pandemic. Moreover, Chinese stance over the status of Hong Kong along with conflicts over scientific development have put the two countries at great hostility.

The US executives explained that while they want to expand the flights between the two countries, they will only do so after China allows more American flights into their country.

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