CAAC
China suspends Etihad Airways and China Eastern Airlines flights for one week. Credit: Steve Lynes from Flickr.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is reportedly planning to suspend three airlines after several passengers on the international flights tested positive for Covid-19. 

The decision will affect Etihad Airways and China Eastern Airlines for one week,  as well as Sri Lanka Airlines for four weeks.

According to the notifications on the CAAC website cited by the source, six passengers on Etihad Airways flight EY862 between Abu Dhabi and Shanghai and six passengers from China Eastern Airlines flight MU212 from Manila to Shanghai tested positive.  

Additionally, 23 passengers on Sri Lanka Airlines flight UL866 from Colombo to Shanghai were confirmed to be infected.  

The suspensions will be effective starting 17 August and these three airlines are permitted to continue operations before this date. 

Following the suspension notice, Etihad Airways reportedly revealed plans to make Covid-19 testing mandatory for all passengers up to 48 hours before departure. 

In June, the regulator introduced a reward and suspension mechanism on inbound flights to restrict the spread of coronavirus.  

In a separate development, China saw its passenger numbers in July reduce by 34.1% compared with the same period last year.  

A total of 93 Chinese and foreign airlines have been permitted to operate 187 international routes to and from China to 50 destinations, as of 12 August, reported Reuters.