Move aims to win ‘bargaining chips’ as sector recovers: experts
France’s aviation authority will restrict passenger flights from China to only one per week, saying the move was in response to Beijing’s travel curbs, even though China has offered to break the “Five One” policy to allow more French flights, the Chinese Embassy in France said on Tuesday.
Experts said that France’s decision might be intended as a bargaining chip for further negotiations to win Air France permission to operate more China-bound flights, and flights between the two countries might resume more quickly than expected given the relatively low COVID-19 risks in France.
In a statement on its website, the French Embassy in Beijing said the move was meant to “address the imbalance of airline services” between the two countries, and it said that discussions on the matter were in progress.
Currently, three airlines – Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – each have a weekly flight from a Chinese city to Paris.
Air France resumed flights to China on June 18, with the plane landing in Shanghai on June 19.
The aviation authority in France announced it would reduce the three weekly flights from China to only one, according to the Chinese Embassy in France.
Air China flight CA934, which was scheduled to fly from Paris to Beijing on Wednesday, was cancelled shortly after an announcement from the French government on Monday.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) had no comment on the matter when reached by the Global Times on Tuesday.
The Chinese Embassy however, said France’s decision was “baffling”, as it was made after China agreed to allow flag carrier Air France to operate three flights to China, breaking the “Five One” policy under which each airline can only operate one flight per week to China.
Qi Qi, an aviation market watcher, told the Global Times on Tuesday that France’s move is aimed at winning more bargaining chips and accelerating the process of a full recovery in airline services.
“By slashing the number of the weekly flights, France is trying to put more pressure on China to allow more flights to China,” Qi said.
“The negotiation space for France would be wide, as it is viewed as important and relatively safe by China’s aviation authority, and it is one of the first eight countries that China is allowing to break the Five One policy.”
According to the statement from the Chinese Embassy, China has allowed Air France to operate one flight to Shanghai and has recommended other cities for its two other Chinese flights. Shanghai has agreed to take a second flight from Air France, and application for the authorities’ approval was already in progress when France announced plans to reduce flights from China.
Shanghai is reaching full capacity to receive international flights, as more overseas carriers including Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic have been approved to resume flights into Shanghai.
According to the CAAC on Tuesday, China Eastern Airlines had to divert its flights to Xi’an in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, after it was awarded one additional flight per week after carrying zero COVID-19 cases for the past three weeks.
Lin Zhijie, a market watcher, told the Global Times on Tuesday that China has been cautiously resuming flights with major countries, with flights reaching about 8 percent of the same period last year, compared with only 2 percent in March.
China first imposed the “Five One” policy in March to restrict international travel for coronavirus containment. The policy was adjusted in June, allowing for international airlines to fly to China.
According to CAAC rules, from June 8 foreign airlines could choose a port city with reception capability and operate one flight per week, but they must first obtain an access certificate from the local airport.
“The resumption of international flights usually depends on how well the country has controlled the coronarvirus crisis,” Qi said. “The biggest concern with France is that it might be used as a transfer hub for passengers from high-risk countries, if the policy loosens up too quickly.”
On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in France warned that passengers should prepare for “huge uncertainties” when flying from or through France to China, but it also said it hoped that France will review its decision and return to negotiations.
A woman wearing a protective mask is seen at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy, near Paris, France, on March 13, 2020.(Photo by Jack Chan/Xinhua)
