International air travel is starting to creep back, complete with a patchy network of destinations, virus tests and quarantines
- This month, China and South Korea opened a tightly controlled travel corridor between Seoul and 10 Chinese regions, including Shanghai.
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania lifted travel restrictions between the three Baltic states on May 15, while Australia and New Zealand are also working to resume flights between the two countries

Planes are flying again on a handful of international routes, creating a possible path to recovery for a battered industry. But with Covid-19 still spreading, aspiring passengers will have to navigate a patchy network that might include virus tests and weeks-long quarantine.
This month, China and South Korea opened a tightly controlled travel corridor between Seoul and 10 Chinese regions, including Shanghai. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania lifted travel restrictions between the three Baltic states on May 15. Australia and New Zealand are also working to resume flights between the two countries.
Airlines and airports worldwide are clamouring for a coordinated approach; A United Nations agency that sets the rules for the industry, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, plans to deliver global guidelines by the end of May. They “will have to be flexible, adaptable and potentially reversible,” said Philippe Bertoux, chairman of the Covid-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force at ICAO.
