The US and Chinese markets have remained the same since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five years ago, the number of flights to China was four times what it is now.
a little context
Needless to say, the pandemic has been devastating. For those who weren’t interested in the aviation industry at the time, airplane “graveyards” — places where airplanes were stored or rotted after years of service — were filled with planes that had landed on the ground. Even some passenger airports have been turned into aircraft storage areas, with runways and taxiways closed to accommodate the aircraft. While many airlines and markets around the world have recovered, the US and Chinese markets have not.
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according to Kirium Data shows that in February 2019, more than 2,500 round-trip flights were planned between the United States and China. This month there are only 675. There are two reasons for this. One, the U.S. government limits the amount of flights Chinese airlines can fly to the U.S., and two, they don’t want U.S. airlines to significantly expand their operations into China. be. Just yesterday, U.S. airlines asked the U.S. federal government not to allow Chinese airlines to expand in the United States.
Major US airlines ask Biden administration to suspend additional flights to China
Compare US airline operations
Airline operations this month are 26% of February 2019. United Airlines, currently the largest carrier spanning the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, is currently operating only two routes this month, up from nine routes in February 2019. For both China flights, San Francisco International Airport is United’s primary gateway to Asia and the Pacific. The airline deploys Boeing 777-300ERs daily to Beijing and Shanghai, with a round-trip seating capacity of 21,000 on each route.
In February 2019, United Airlines launched multiple routes to China from five hubs. There were three flights from San Francisco, two from Chicago and Newark, and one from Los Angeles and Washington. United Airlines flew 120 flights this month, up from 510 in February five years ago. The current seating capacity was 42,000, but the seating capacity was over 134,000.
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American Airlines flies fewer flights to China than United and is currently operating a significantly reduced schedule. In 2019, American Airlines only served two Chinese cities, Shanghai and Beijing, from Los Angeles International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This month, the Fort Worth-based airline is flying only from Dallas to Beijing. The Boeing 787-8 is operated by American Airlines and has 234 seats in three cabin configurations.
In 2019, Delta Air Lines’ fleet was larger than American Airlines but smaller than United Airlines, and continues to be so. Five years ago, Delta Air Lines operated 270 flights on six routes. Only two are currently in operation. Currently, Delta only flies to Shanghai from its hubs Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Flights from Seattle are operated daily on an Airbus A330neo, and flights from Detroit are operated twice weekly on an Airbus A350-900.
Chinese carriers
According to the data, in 2019, Chinese airlines operated 1,541 flights, but that number has now decreased by less than one-third to 409 flights. This is because the US has already significantly restricted the operations of Chinese airlines. All Chinese airlines that operated flights in 2019 (China Eastern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Air China, and Sichuan Airlines) are still operating. In 2019, China Airlines offered more than 450,000 shared seats, and now that number is just over 131,000.
