SINGAPORE—As part of a wider relaxation of COVID-19 rules, China has scrapped the need for travelers to undergo testing before domestic flights.
The requirement for on-arrival checks for regional flights has also been removed. The announcement comes some six weeks before the Chinese New Year and within days following a series of mass protests in major cities against measures imposed by Beijing in pursuit of its zero-COVID strategy.
Restrictions for international flights, whereby passengers are required to undergo a PCR test 24 hr. before flying and undergo eight days of quarantine on arrival in China, remain unchanged. Other policies, such as prolonged lockdowns and isolations, have been shortened.
Beijing embarked on its zero-COVID policy after the virus emerged in Wuhan three years ago. Initially the strategy appeared relatively successful compared to other countries, seeing China become the world’s largest aviation market for most of 2020 while aircraft in the rest of the world remained mostly grounded.
However, the rollout of effective mRNA vaccine programs along with the emergence of the milder omicron variant gave other countries the confidence to remove their air transport restrictions. China, meanwhile, has until now persisted with pursuing its zero-COVID ambition and remains the only negative-growth aviation market in 2022.
The announcement of the end of domestic travel restrictions sparked a frenzy of online searches for flights. Chinese online travel agency Tongcheng reported a 438% day-on-day surge in search traffic, especially for flights in the days leading up to the Chinese New Year in late January. Another travel agency, Qunar, said it has seen a sevenfold increase in searches for flights to destinations such as Changchun, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Harbin, Sanya and Shanghai.
Pre-pandemic, the Chinese New Year was the world’s largest human migration event. Being the peak season for travel in China, it is a crucial source of income for the air transport and tourism sectors.
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