"Green Channel" chartered flights for "experts".

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/ea...el-for-flights


Fast Track procedures

https://www.mofa.go.kr
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0b8aeb6b61.jpg

Notice on Further Reducing International Passenger Flights during the Epidemic Prevention and Control Period

There are most certainly not daily flights happening to any foreign country, besides cargo and some chartered flights with business professionals. HKG does not even allow transit through the country, so it's impossible there are daily flights happening. Maybe planned for July or after, but certainly not happening currently. Korean Air runs one shuttle flight from Shenyang to Incheon, China Southern has one flight to Incheon and LAX each week, but has cancelled them recently since it's near impossible for Chinese to fly or transit to Korea currently., China East has PVG > JFK once a week, Xiamen once a week to LAX from Xiamen. That's about it. Even worse, if you get one of those flights, finding a connecting flight, or trying to get a codeshare ticket is about impossible.

As for foreign carriers, almost all cancelled in April and May, Singapore Air returns next month once a week. Delta is begging for a daily flight, but still hasn't gotten approval despite flights beginning next Tuesday.

Good news is the CAAC chief has been reported today as saying they may quadruple the number of international flights in June, but details still haven't been released on who has been awarded these flights. I would assume Delta would get their 60 flights they planned, and United would get some of theirs.

Flying to China still a challenge as restrictions extended 5/26
 

Reduced flights have made it difficult for travelers to find tickets to China. A staffer at Juneyao Airlines said the carrier's international flights in April and May were all fully booked. Juneyao Airlines currently operates weekly flights from Shanghai to Finland, Japan and Singapore. All economy tickets for the June flights have already been booked, the person said.

Juneyao Airlines' website showed that the available tickets for flights from Helsinki to Shanghai are priced at more than 60,000 yuan ($8,440) for a single trip, compared with as little as 6,000 yuan a year ago. Tickets for flights to Changi and Osaka amount more than 20,000 yuan.


The CAAC Wednesday also required that airlines submit flight schedules for regulatory review two months in advance. For instance, airlines should seek approval for June and July plans in May and submit August plans by the end of June. The CAAC said any change in the flight policy will be announced in advance and the approval procedure will be modified accordingly.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Ca...tions-extended

The current rule is one flight, per airline, per country, per week. With the stipulation that the route had to have been flown by the airline on March 12th. The last stipulation basically makes it only CAAC airlines and a few of the Asian airlines that were still flying to China then.

There are no international flights from SHA now so the SHA TYO USA routing you’re seeing is phantom. The only PVG TYO USA flights with timings that allow connections would involve Spring so good luck getting any baggage to connect. I believe the connection timings are intentional.

MFM and HKG aren’t considered international for this policy which is why there are daily flights.

This policy is stranding hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens abroad but there seems to be little push to modify it.

CAAC is forcing their airlines to only offer flights they’re approved to offer but they can’t enforce this on foreign airlines hence the people giving UA and AC money for flights they are selling to and from China in June that have absolutely no chance of operating.

Any one have updated information on visa requirement?

Back in March, it was reported that all existing visa and resident permits were voided. If the flights are coming back, how will visa be handled? New application or continue with existing visa?

I am based in Washington DC and the embassy is still closed and unable to get an answer.

No foreigners allowed to enter China until they offer further notice. The embassy being closed is a sign that further notice hasn’t been given :p Certain countries are negotiating bilateral travel deals with the PRC (Singapore, Korea) to allow their nationals to enter China with valid business reasons.

If you want to enter China now you’d need a visa issued by an embassy or consulate abroad after March 29th. If you want to use your old visa you need to wait until they lift the restrictions and if it’s not expired, you can use it. FWIW I can’t see them lifting these restrictions for US and EU passports until next year.

Apologies for the confusion, I was using "SHA" to represent the coverall metro code, not the airport code for Hongqiao. When searching routes that have service from both airports, I typically input SHA.

Dress the part
 

Smart traveler..gloves..goggles
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d5eb49e8d3.jpg
..mask..shield ...gown.

If you want to travel to China dress appropriately.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-lo...es-11590688856

It's been posted elsewhere on FT that HKG has opened to transit but not to/from mainland China. There was a link to the CX website where this was stated (as well as an apparently new policy of admitting (with quarantine) people with new student, work, etc. visas for Hong Kong).

Has any foreigner on here successfully entered China from Hong Kong since the borders closed to foreign residents late March?

This would involve getting a new business visa from the Chinese visa office in HK with a letter of invitation from your host company (or employer), a second letter of invitation from the Guangdong/Shenzhen Foreign Affairs office, and a Covid test.

Anyone here successfully done it yet?

I am sure there has been some.

Most did not because of the 14-day quarantine.

14 day quarantine is the least of my concerns after having been stuck in Hong Kong the last 3 months. If my university offered the opportunity I would jump at it. I've already quarantined a month in Shenzhen then 2 weeks in Hong Kong. 2 more weeks to get to go home and see my girlfriend again after 4 months? Sign me up. Much better than waiting here for another month, or 3, or 6.

Agreed. I would welcome 14 days quarantine in Shenzhen if it got me home in my own bed after being trapped in HK since March.

I returned to HK on Cathay expecting to cross straight away into Shenzhen but arrived in HK on the Friday that they imposed the mandatory 14 days quarantine for all arrivals (and before they banned all non-resident arrivals so at least that was something). By the time I was out of HK's quarantine, China had closed its borders to foreign residents. So here I am.

Hence my question if any foreign resident has gone from HK to SZ during this period and how they got the invitation letter from the Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office to do so.

There's a report somewhere in SCMP today that talks are progressing on a HK-Guangzhou "bubble" that may go into effect "in a few weeks." That'd permit travel between the two areas without quarantine.

But it's useless for many unless the Mainland also permits entry from HK to foreigners with "old" visas. Note that quite a few HK people who could qualify for HRPs also prefer to travel to the Mainland on their passports, if they have a foreign nationality.

EDIT: That report I saw was on RTHK, not SCMP.

https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/compone...3-20200609.htm