Chinese Airlines Stop Flights From 37 Countries

Photo by Philip Myrtorp on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Several Chinese airlines have stopped services from 37 countries due to the emergence of positive cases of COVID-19, the Omicron variant.

Sichuan Airlines, another major service operator to Africa, announced that it will suspend transfer routes from nine countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi and Seychelles, to China via Egypt. The decision will take effect on Saturday.

The suspension is effective as of Saturday, December 4 yesterday, as quoted from the Global Times.

China Southern also temporarily suspended its services from 37 countries, including 24 African countries, seven Asian countries, three European countries, and three countries in Central and South America.

Data from flight information service provider VariFlight states that on November 1-28, 2021, there are 37 flight schedules from China to Africa.

The 37 scheduled flights are served by China Southern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Air China, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, and Egypt Airlines.

Several airlines in China have re-adjusted health protocol policies in line with the emergence of Omicron cases in several countries.

So far, China has not found a case of Omicron.

Although routes to Africa account for only a fraction of global international travel, sudden border restrictions have created uncertainty over nearly all international travel. timeframe planning for major airlines.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates that tourism's contribution to the world economy will reach US$1.9 trillion this year, slightly up from last year's US$1.6 trillion, but still far below the US$3.5 trillion in 2019.

"Omicron's variant undermines travel confidence," Qi Qi, market watcher.