Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, China has taken a stringent approach in its attempts to eventually get cases down to zero. With certain pockets of the country presently experiencing surges in case rates, its civil aviation regulator has elected to divert more than 100 flights away from Shanghai until the start of May.
Six-week shutdown
The thinking behind this policy, according to Bloomberg, is to ease the pressure placed on quarantine hotels in the Shanghai area. Presently, China requires all inbound international travelers to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival into the country. For those who can’t isolate at home, this is done at government hotels.
The country will begin diverting international flights to Shanghai to other Chinese destinations on March 21st, with this policy remaining in place for six weeks until May 1st. During this time, a total of 106 flights are expected to be impacted. The airlines that it will affect are Air China, China Eastern, Juneyao Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, and Spring Airlines. All five have bases at Shanghai Pudong Airport.
The exact routes that will make up the 106 diversions are not yet known, but will likely become clear in the coming days and weeks once the policy comes into place. The choice of Shanghai for this policy is significant given that, as Bloomberg notes, the city’s Pudong International Airport (PVG) has handled 40% of China’s international arrivals since the global health crisis began.
China Eastern Airlines is one of five carriers set to be affected by the diversions. Photo: Airbus
Impacts on cargo traffic
Interestingly, the situation may also inadvertently affect cargo traffic in and out of Shanghai. On the one hand, The LoadStar quotes a Shanghai-based freight forwarder as saying that the policy “won’t affect freighters or domestic flights, and the airport will not be closed.” However, it seems that cargo capacity may still be affected in terms of freight that is carried in the bellies of passenger aircraft.
During the pandemic, the value of cargo space in the holds of passenger jets has become clear, while also proving a good way of keeping dormant planes and pilots active. However, the 106 international flights that will divert away from Shanghai between March 21st and May 1st represent a sizeable cargo capacity cut. CargoGulf’s Global Development Director, Hans-Henrik Nielsen, told The LoadStar that:
“The flight situation in Shanghai has clearly added to the stressed air freight situation. On Friday alone, we saw a huge uptake in freight inquiries for cargo out of Shanghai.”
The diversion of international passenger flights may place added pressure on cargo carriers. Photo: Getty Images
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International suspensions elsewhere in China
While Shanghai is facing a surge in coronavirus cases, Reuters notes that it is yet to enter a full lockdown. The city will hope that, by minimizing international traffic in and out of the city, it can keep things this way while easing pressure on quarantine hotels. Elsewhere in China, other international routes have also been cut.
Indeed, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has issued ‘circuit-breaker’ temporary bans on eight international routes. These will face reduced frequencies of full suspensions for two to four weeks following positive coronavirus cases on such flights. The routes affected primarily originated in Seoul. Other impacted corridors include Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou, and Warsaw and Manila to Tianjin.
What do you make of the decision to divert international flights away from Shanghai in the coming weeks? Will this affect your travel plans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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