France on Monday started restricting Chinese airlines to one passenger flight per week, saying it was acting in response to curbs imposed by Beijing on French carriers.
“From July 13, Chinese companies will only be authorized to make one weekly trip,” the French embassy in Beijing said on its website. “Discussions are underway between the two governments with a view to reaching a satisfactory solution.”
China’s state aviation regulator, CAAC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The French embassy said three Chinese carriers, Air China, China Eastern Airlines Corp, and China Southern Airlines Co, were each authorized to make weekly flights from Chinese cities to Paris.
It said that, under a June 12 reciprocal arrangement, Air France had been authorized by Beijing to carry out three flights a week to China but that, in practice, Chinese authorities had only allowed one Air France flight per week.
It said France was applying intense diplomatic pressure to get the go-ahead from Beijing for the extra flights. In the meantime, it advised travelers to be prepared for disruption to air links between the countries.
The Chinese embassy in France said in a post on its social media account that the French government was asking to land all three weekly flights operated by Air France in Shanghai.
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