US Airlines said China had blocked more than a dozen the latest and upcoming flights from entering the country, which had tightened the strict Covid-19 trip limit.
China ordered cancellations after several passengers were tested positive for Covid-19 with flights arriving in China at the end of December, according to industrial officials.
American Airlines said on Tuesday that six flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Shanghai at the end of January and early February had been canceled.
United Airlines said he was forced to cancel flights from San Francisco to Shanghai later this month.
Delta Air Lines said canceled one flight last week and another this Friday to Shanghai.
Airlines for America, representing the largest US passenger and cargo operators, said they were discussing this issue with US and Chinese government officials to find ways to minimize their impact on travelers.
The Biden government has no direct comment.
Flight blocking is the latest developments in disputes between the two countries through international flights and rules designed to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
China has raised travel restrictions after the latest Covid-19 outbreak while preparing to host the winter Olympics in early February.
China limits capacity on flight entry – currently up to 75% – and requires passengers to be tested before departure and after arriving in the country.
If the passenger tests positive, the airline that carries it can be forced to cancel two to four flights, depending on the number of positive cases.
Last month, Delta said new requirements for cleaning the plane between flights caused the plane to Shanghai to return to Seattle.
The airline said the new rules expanded the plane time needed to sit on the ground in Shanghai, and could not be applied.
The Chinese consulate in San Francisco proposed protest on Delta’s decision.
By 2020, Trump’s administration retreated from threats to block four Chinese airlines after China agreed to let United and Delta continue the limited operation that was closed previously in a pandemic.
Last August, the US Transportation Department limited the number of passengers to four airline flights to the US to the US after China imposed fiber boundaries.
The US said China placed an unreasonable burden on the US airline for travelers who tested positive after arriving in China.
US Airlines said China forced them to cancel flights
