Unbalanced recovery

Earlier this year, the Civil Aviation Administration estimated that if the market recovers well, the number of international flights to and from China is expected to rise to about 75 percent of the pre-pandemic level.

As of the end of June, 3,368 such flights were being made per week, about 44 percent of the volume before the pandemic.

Last month, 3.35 million international trips were made to and from China, nearly 51 percent of the volume recorded for the same period in 2019, the administration said.

Lin Zhijie, a civil aviation industry analyst, said: "The number of China's international flights has risen to about 48 percent of the level in 2019, but the level of recovery varies in different regions. Routes to Australia and Europe have recovered the best, with a more than 50 percent resumption, followed by Southeast and Northeast Asia, but few services between China and North America have resumed, with a recovery rate of about 8 percent."

Qi Qi, a senior aviation expert, said, "The number of flights to some Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, has returned to a certain level."

However, flights to the US and Canada have not fully resumed due to the lack of market demand, Qi said.

Li Xiaojin, a professor of aviation economics at Civil Aviation University in Tianjin, said: "Some countries, such as the US, require equal civil aviation rights, and some are still recovering from the impact of COVID-19, with less demand for international travel. After all, business travelers comprise the majority of customers on international flights.

"Carriers from both countries (China and the US) are willing to increase the number of international services, but political reasons are an obstacle to the resumption," he said.

Three levels of preparation are required to restore an international air route, Li said. Civil aviation rights have to be obtained at the State level, airports on both sides must be ready for such a resumption, and airlines need to train staff members and plan for ticket sales.

"Due to the pandemic, many professionals have left the industry in the past three years. Some airports and airlines have had to rehire staff members and train them to prepare for a resumption of international services," he said.