Prognosis
China’s Covid Absolutism Makes It a No-Go Zone for Airlines
- Flights dwindling as authorities try to quell virus outbreaks
- Moves come ahead of typically busy travel period and Olympics
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Entering the third year of the pandemic, China’s unbending approach to Covid-19 has left the world’s second-largest economy all but shut off from international travel, with fewer than 500 inbound flights scheduled this week, compared with about 10,000 this time two years ago.
Capacity cuts are intensifying as China tries to snuff out virus flareups with aggressive lockdowns. Since mid-December, airlines have eliminated almost 1,000 flights that would have arrived in the country between now and Feb. 1, the start of the Lunar New Year -- typically the busiest time for travel anywhere on the planet.