China to Keep Tight Curb on Overseas Flights

A passenger sits on her luggage watching the passenger airplanes parked on the tarmac after all flights were canceled at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, on July 25, 2021. Andy Wong/AP Photo

China is set to keep a tight restraint on overseas flights well into 2022, according to analysts who have heard from Air China. This could spell trouble for tourism businesses around the world because Chinese travellers play an outsized role.

Last month China’s aviation regulator said weekly international flights were still only at 2 percent of 2019 levels.