Delta Air Lines is the first U.S. airline to resume regularly scheduled passenger flights to China, with the start of service from Seattle to Shanghai via Seoul.
Atlanta-based Delta plans to start the route June 25 with two flights a week on Airbus A350 jets. In July, it plans to switch to once-a-week flights from Seattle and Detroit to Shanghai via Seoul.
The airline encouraged customers to check entry policies regarding testing and screening for COVID-19 in China and the United States.
Delta and other U.S. airlines suspended flights to China in February because of the coronavirus outbreak and travel restrictions.
The move also suspended Delta's Atlanta-Shanghai route.
Delta resumed cargo service to China, but has been restricted from restarting passenger flights until now.
The airline’s Atlanta-Shanghai route remains suspended through the summer. While Delta has the route in its flight schedule for later this year, it said: “We are continuing to monitor the schedule in the months ahead and will adjust as needed based on demand, government travel regulations and federal health guidelines.”
Meanwhile, Delta is restarting flights from Atlanta to Seoul Incheon in July.
If Atlanta passengers want to travel to Shanghai over the summer, they would need to connect in Detroit or Seattle for the flight to Shanghai via Seoul, according to Delta.
After a recent outbreak of the coronavirus in Beijing, China has strengthened measures to eradicate the virus there, slowing a recent rise in new cases, the Associated Press reported. China reported 18 new confirmed cases of the virus Monday, including nine in Beijing.
