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Where Can You Fly Right Now? U.S. Grabs China’s Short-Lived Aviation Lead

U.S. travel gains momentum, while an outbreak in Guangzhou undoes months of progress

Passengers onboard an Avelo Airlines flight. — Passengers onboard an Avelo Airlines flight.
Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg

By

Siddharth Vikram Philip and

June 9, 2021, 4:01 AM UTCUpdated onJune 9, 2021, 4:45 PM UTC

The U.S. has taken the lead in the global aviation recovery from China, where a Covid-19 outbreak in Guangdong province has undone months of steady growth in air traffic.

Airlines in the U.S. are taking advantage of a vaccine rollout that’s reached 52% of the population. Looser restrictions have made domestic air travel an almost-routine experience, save for the facemasks, with capacity for flights within the country at about 84% of 2019 levels, based on data from flight-tracking firm OAG.