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China adds international flights after relaxing Covid-19 controls

  • Six new Moscow and St Petersburg routes start operating this month, while more airlines will serve the Philippines, according to embassies
  • The announcements come as Beijing cuts quarantine in half and loosens visa rules

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Travellers arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport on June 29, a day after China cut its quarantine period for overseas arrivals. Photo: EPA-EFE
China has opened its doors to more international flights ahead of the summer travel season, with routes from Russia and the Philippines set to increase following the loosening of Covid-19 controls.
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Commercial flights from Russia to China will be expanded this month from the current two flights per week to eight, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy in Moscow on Tuesday.
Of the six additional flights, three will resume former routes between Moscow and Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu, while three new services will operate between Moscow and Beijing, Moscow and Shanghai, and St Petersburg and Chengdu.

This is the latest in a string of announcements by Chinese embassies and airlines about resuming or opening more international routes after the country relaxed its Covid-19 controls last week, cutting the length of quarantine in half for inbound arrivals.

The Chinese embassy in the Philippines said on June 28 that China would increase the number of airlines serving the Southeast Asian country.
China has adopted a zero-Covid strategy largely focused on stopping the virus at the border.
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In March 2020, the Civil Aviation Administration of China restricted both foreign and Chinese carriers to just one weekly flight per country via a single route. This policy, known as the “five one” policy, caused more than 100 domestic and foreign airlines to cut international flights in and out of China.

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