China: first direct foreign flight to Beijing in two years, quarantine relaxed on arrival

For two years, commercial flights from abroad could not land directly on the Beijing tarmacs (illustration image).

REUTERS - ALY SONG

Text by: Stéphane Lagarde Follow

3 mins

After more than two years of almost hermetic closure of the borders, the quarantine for arrivals from abroad has been reduced by half, the authorities announced on Tuesday June 28.

For the first time this Wednesday, a direct plane is expected in the Chinese capital from the United Arab Emirates.

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With our correspondent in Beijing,

Since March 23, 2020, commercial flights from abroad cannot land directly on the Beijing tarmacs and are redirected to

, with the exception of flights transporting the delegations coming to the Olympic Games this winter and probably the travel of the officials.

The capital is a sanitary bubble in the Chinese sanitary bubble, we should above all not risk contaminating the forbidden city.

The

which is due to take off this evening from Abu Dhabi at 6 p.m. - local time -, with an arrival scheduled for Thursday morning at 5:25 a.m. - Beijing time -, is therefore an exception.

Return of international air traffic in 2023

RFI contacted the company Ethiad this morning in Beijing.

For now, this is the exception that proves the rule: “

we were told

”.

Is this a trial?

The Chinese authorities have said nothing about possible similar authorizations issued to other companies and for other destinations.

The only official statement regarding international air traffic dates back to January.

The Chinese civil aviation regulator then spoke of a

!

The hardest part is therefore to find a plane ticket for China, not to mention a direct flight to Beijing, because prices are soaring: it is thus necessary to count more than 8,000 euros for a one-way ticket Paris-Shanghai this summer on Air France, knowing that indirect flights from the countries of embarkation are not authorized by China.

“

Adjustments

” but no renunciation of “

Zero Covid

”

These announcements are "

" only.

In any case, this is the term used by the National Health Commission.

The mandatory quarantine of 14 days minimum on arrival on Chinese soil, therefore increases to seven days in a dedicated hotel, as well as three days of self-observation at home.

For a little over a month,

which have reduced the duration of Covid isolation on arrival to ten days.

Other relatively good news for travelers: antibody tests prior to boarding the plane have also been abolished for certain countries, and the Ministry of Immigration has reversed pre-Covid conditions for the allocation of family visas. and working, again for a list of predefined countries.

A piece of blue sky for travelers who wish to come to China 🇨🇳 from the United States 🇺🇸.

From this Friday, May 20, it will no longer be necessary to present a negative antibody test result 7 days before the flight.

#Covid #China HT @xinwendiaocha 1/2 pic.twitter.com/mvoPn1QLjd

— Stephane Lagarde (@StephaneLagarde) May 19, 2022

But here again, this is not a renunciation of the

, specify our health experts who continue to walk on eggshells vis-à-vis this

 which should remain in place at least until the XXᵉ Congress of the Chinese Communist Party next fall.

Beijing will maintain its policy of absolute non-tolerance with the virus "

", the secretary of the Communist Party of Beijing reportedly declared two days ago, on the occasion of the opening of the 13ᵉ congress of the CPC in Beijing. the capital.

Words denied, after having caused a stir on social networks.

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• China

• Coronavirus

• Aeronautics