Several international flights to Shanghai have been suspended for two weeks by China’s civil aviation regulator following an increasing number of imported COVID-19 cases.
China Eastern Airlines’ Flight MU588 from New York to Shanghai, Spanish carrier Iberia’s Flight IB2821 from Madrid to Shanghai, and Ethiopian Airlines’ Flight ET684 from Addis Ababa to Shanghai will be put on hold from January 3.
A total of 18 passengers on these flights tested positive on December 14 at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.
The CAAC has asked the airlines to work together with local consulates to appease the travelers and offer refund services.
About 60 COVID-19 cases have been imported to Shanghai via international flights at Pudong airport since last Friday.
Yesterday, eight new imported patients were reported in Shanghai. All of them were Chinese travelers returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Canada.