Coronavirus: China suspends Guangzhou-Dhaka flight after 17 passengers test positive
- China Southern will not be able to fly route for four weeks from June 22 under new ‘circuit-breaker’ rules
- Temporary ban imposed as the country grapples with fresh Covid-19 outbreak in the capital
The service, flight CZ392, is the first to be cancelled under the regulator’s new “circuit-breaker” rule and comes as China battles a fresh wave of infections, most of them in Beijing.
The China Southern service will be suspended for four weeks from June 22, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Under rules introduced on June 4, if between five and nine passengers on a flight test positive for coronavirus on arrival in China, the service will be suspended for a week. If 10 or more passengers test positive, the route will be suspended for four weeks.
The CAAC made the decision to address concerns over the rising number of coronavirus cases among arrivals.
The CZ392 has been irregular in recent weeks and has been operating two flights per week since the start of June. Two scheduled flights will be subject to cancellation, according to VariFlight, an aviation data provider, while one flight is still scheduled for next week before the ban takes effect.