International carriers remain bullish on long-term prospects

International carriers remain bullish on long-term prospects in China even as the aviation sector reels from a flurry of cancellations and groundings as nations scramble to halt the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Currently, only less than 10 international carriers are operating direct flights to China. These include firms like Singapore Airlines, Air Asia, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Aeroflot and Ethiopian Airlines. Thai Airways, the largest carrier in Thailand, which maintained operations to China, said it would suspend all its international flights from Wednesday till the end of May.

China, which has been making steady progress in controlling the outbreak, is presently making intense efforts to curb imported cases. Starting from Sunday, all international flights to Beijing have been diverted to 12 Chinese cities first, and passengers are made to undergo strict health checks before being cleared for flights to Beijing. The inspection process is expected to take 10 to 14 hours.