Beijing air traffic facing renewed restrictions

Almost two-thirds of domestic flights from and to Beijing Capital and Beijing Daxing International were cancelled on 17 June, after Chinese authorities reimposed stricter travel restrictions due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

The South China Morning Post said that a total of 1,255 mostly domestic flights in- or outbound to the capital airports were cancelled on the day. The local authorities raised health emergency restrictions from Level III to Level II in the evening of 16 June.

Under current rules, residents of high-risk neighbourhoods are prohibited from leaving the city, while the general population is also discouraged from travelling outside Beijing. Every outbound passenger requires a current COVID-19 test prior to boarding. While the roads remain open and inter-regional trains continue operating, passengers are encouraged to cancel their tickets. Long-haul buses and ride-hailing services have been suspended.

According to website ch-aviation, Air China is currently the largest operator in the Chinese capital with 319,327 weekly departure seats out Beijing Capital (49.2% of the airport’s total capacity) and 14,881 out of Daxing (4.7% of the total).