Delta Air Lines restarts China flights

Delta Air Lines finally resumes China flights this week.

It becomes the first US carrier to fly there since services were grounded in February due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It restarts twice a week service from Seattle to Shanghai via Seoul on July 25.

In July, the carrier will then revise its schedule to one weekly flight from Seattle and one from Detroit to Shanghai, both going via Seoul Incheon.

"We are excited to resume our services between the US and China, as economic and social activities start to recover," said Wong Hong, Delta’s president of Greater China and Singapore.

Before the pandemic Delta had operated more than 40 flights a week to Shanghai and Beijing from the US.

Delta will limit capacity on the flights and face masks must be worn.

It had taken several weeks to get approval from China authorities to restart flights for Delta and United Airlines, and only happened after the US government intervened and threatened retaliation against Chinese carriers.

United hopes to resume its flights to China ‘in the coming weeks.’