China will end the over two-year long control measures—"circuit breaker" and "Five One" policies— for inbound international flights starting Jan 8, promoting the resumption of international passenger flights, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Wednesday.

 

No more flights will be categorized as high-risk. The 75 percent of seat requirements for inbound flights will also be lifted.

 

No more closed-loop management, quarantine or nucleic acid test results are required for inbound flight air crew and staff.

 

The sector will strengthen the management of the price of international flights in accordance with bilateral air transport agreements and relevant state laws and regulations, inspecting unfair competition in ticket prices, maintaining a reasonable price in the air transport market and protecting the right and interest of customers and operators.

 

According to the "Five One" policy, domestic airlines had to reduce their international routes to one per country and cap their number of flights at no more than one per week, while foreign carriers were allowed to maintain only one air route to China and operate no more than one flight a week.

 

The "circuit breaker" rule means that carriers' operations will be suspended for two weeks if five or more passengers test positive for COVID-19 when they land in China. If 10 or more passengers test positive, the suspension period was extended to four weeks.

 

On Tuesday, China announced it would lift quarantine for inbound passengers from abroad, also starting on Jan 8.