Flights of Air China are parked on the tarmac of Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, March 28, 2016.<\/p>\n
Kim Kyung Hoon | Reuters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
BEIJING \u2014 Fewer than 6% of U.S. flights to and from mainland China that existed in 2019 have resumed, according to a Nomura report.<\/p>\n
In contrast, flights between mainland China and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Italy are nearly back to pre-pandemic frequency or more, the report showed, citing data as of May 22 from Variflight.<\/p>\n
“We think geopolitical factors in China’s outbound tourism revival … are clearly at play here,” Nomura’s Chief China Economist Ting Lu and a team said in the report Monday.<\/p>\n
In March, China brokered the\u00a0restoration of diplomatic ties between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran<\/a>. Beijing has refused to condemn\u00a0Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine<\/a>, while calling for peace talks.<\/p>\n Tensions between the U.S. and China have meanwhile simmered. China’s ambassador to the U.S. assumed office last week<\/a> after a gap of about six months with no one in the position.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This past weekend, an Air China<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> flight between Beijing and New York marked the first direct passenger on the route by a Chinese carrier in months. It was one of the four new weekly flights<\/a> between the two countries by Chinese airlines that the U.S. Department of Transportation approved in May.<\/p>\n Previously, the only regular direct flights by Chinese carriers between mainland China and New York since the pandemic were from Shanghai and Guangzhou. The cross-border non-stop flights also cover Los Angeles.<\/p>\n On the other hand, reports say U.S.-based airlines have chosen not to resume many flights<\/a> between the U.S. and China. That’s because restrictions on flying over Russian airspace give Chinese carriers an advantage \u2014 an added cost of $2 billion a year for the three major U.S.-based airlines.<\/p>\n Delta<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>, United<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> and American Airlines<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n