Covid-19: On route to China, Delta flight turns around due to new restrictions

The vacation was cut short before it even started. The American company Delta Airlines decided to return a mid-flight plane to Shanghai back to Seattle last week due to new restrictions against the Covid-19 required at the airport, drawing the wrath of the Chinese authorities.

“To comply with the cleaning conditions required at the international airport of Shanghai Pudong which were issued by the Chinese government on December 21, flight 287 from Seattle to Shanghai returned to Seattle while en route to Shanghai, ”a company spokesperson said on Monday.

“The new clean-up procedures require considerably extended floor time and are not operationally viable for Delta,” he added without giving details of the procedures in question.

Outdated Covid-19 tests

According to Chinese media, several passengers ended up in the United States with expired Covid-19 tests and expired visas, prompting the consulate of China in San Francisco to officially complain to the airline.

More than 2,000 flights have been canceled in recent days by airlines around the world, many pilots and crews being ill or in quarantine due to the highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19. Many authorities have also tightened the restrictions, the Chinese authorities being particularly on the teeth as the Beijing Olympics approach, which begins in less than 40 days.

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