What’s new: The American Chamber of Commerce in China is set to schedule a charter flight to bring its members, and employees of member companies, from San Francisco to Beijing on Sept. 12, according to a statement. The plan has received preliminary approval from the Beijing government.
The news came as China and the United States both agreed to double current flights between the world’s two largest economies, which have been dramatically reduced amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The U.S. Transportation Department on Tuesday issued an order allowing four Chinese airlines to run eight round-trips per week.
To reserve a place on the charter flight, AmCham China members must hold a valid re-entry visa or invitation letter from the Beijing government. Family members will also be permitted to travel with them, but all passengers must produce a negative nucleic acid test result to board the flight.
The chamber said it must secure a minimum of 120 passengers to guarantee the charter flight at a reasonable cost of between $3,000 and $5,000 per ticket, and that it will be cancelled if they fail to meet the requisite number of passengers.
The Background: The U.S. and China have each chartered planes to fly certain groups of people including students and diplomats between the two countries during the pandemic. The Chinese embassy in the U.S. has arranged a total of 32 flights to bring home roughly 7,000 students while Washington also flew its diplomats to China to re-staff its missions there in late July.
AmCham China is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with 4,000 members from 900 companies operating across China, according to its website.
Contact editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)
