Delta Air Lines Inc. on Monday announced it would begin flights between Shanghai and Seattle starting June 25, making it the first US carrier to resume operations between the US and China since the COVID-19 pandemic halted flights in February.
The flights will fly twice a week in June, then once a week from Seattle then Detroit beginning in July, the airlines said.
The US Department of Transportation disclosed last week that China and the US will each allow four weekly flights between the two nations in the wake of the global health crisis, easing travel restriction standoff.
In a statement on Monday, Wong Hong, Delta Air's president of Greater China and Singapore, said the carrier is "committed to getting our customers to their destinations safely and confidently, especially at this critical time," Alex Gangitano of The Hill, quoted Hong as saying.
Hong added that they are now carrying out unprecedented safety measures so passengers are assured of ease and safety at all points of their journey.
Delta Air's health and safety measures include a mandatory wearing of face masks by passengers -- from checking into their flights to gates, and throughout the flight's duration, flight except for during meals.
The airline also pointed out that it would minimize passenger capacity to 60 percent in the main cabin and adjust the boarding process from back-to-front, to lessen the need for passengers to pass each other.
Delta Air also emphasized it would disinfect all planes and use circulation equipment with HEPA filters to get rid of over 99.99 percent of particles and encourage passengers to seal their own food and non-alcoholic beverages to minimize touch points.
Apart from Delta Air, United Airlines is also looking at resuming two weekly commercial flights between Shanghai and San Francisco starting July 6 to October 24.
Chinese airline companies are operating four flights between China and the US. These include Xiamen Airlines' Xiamen-Los Angeles routes, China Eastern's Shanghai-New York destination, Air China's Beijing-Los Angeles route, and China Southern's Guangzhou-Los Angeles service. Delta disclosed that it will deploy its flagship A350 jets for the Pudong-Seattle flights.
China's civil aviation officials have revised its protocols for international commercial operations, allowing more foreign airlines to resume flights to China on a once-a-week basis.
International carriers unable to resume flights to the mainland in the last few months because of the crisis can choose a qualified Chinese city for entry, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.
