The Trump administration will ban Chinese airlines from flying to the US amid escalating trade and diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The Department of Transportation said it would suspend four Chinese airlines' passenger flights to and from the United States from June 16.
The decision came after China has prevented United Airlines and Delta Air Lines from resuming flights to China this month. Airlines suspended flights earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic that began in China's Wuhan province.
On Thursday, the Chinese aviation regulator said more airlines would be allowed to resume flights to / from China, but did not specify if United Airlines and Delta Air Lines were included.
“We will allow Chinese carriers to operate the same number of scheduled passenger flights as the Chinese government allows ours,” the US Department of Transportation said in a statement.
The department added that President Donald Trump could enact the order by June 16. The four airlines covered by the ban are Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.
Before the pandemic, there were about 325 passenger flights a week between the United States and China, including flights operated by United, Delta and American Airlines.
