Washington: The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) said it will suspend 26 China-bound flights from the United States by four Chinese carriers in response to the Chinese government's decision to suspend some U.S. carrier flights over COVID-19 cases.
The decision will affect flights by Xiamen, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines from Sept. 5 to Sept. 28.
The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) cited the recent cancellation of 26 American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines flights over COVID-19 cases.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington's spokesperson Liu Pengyu said the USDOT action was extremely irresponsible and groundlessly suspended Chinese airline flights.
The embassy said China's COVID-19 "circuit breaker" measures were fair and transparent, applied both to Chinese and foreign airlines and were consistent with bilateral air transportation agreements.