Two Thai routes suspended after passengers test positive for COVID-19

China's civil aviation regulator said on Wednesday it has suspended a Thai Lion Air route between Bangkok and Guangzhou for one week after passengers on a recent flight tested positive for COVID-19, as well as a Thai AirAsia X route between Bangkok and Tianjin.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement six passengers on the July 7 flight from Thailand's capital to the provincial capital in Guangdong and five on the July 10 Tianjin-bound flight tested positive for the coronavirus, both meeting the conditions for a "circuit breaker" suspension of the flight route.

In keeping with an international flight adjustment policy announced on June 4, the administration issued its "circuit-breaker" directive and announced the one-week suspension of the two routes would begin on July 20.

In early June, China eased restrictions on international passenger flights contingent on epidemic risk being under control. Authorities highlighted the "reward and circuit breaker mechanism" for carriers to increase or have flights suspended in accordance with companies' epidemic control work.

Under the policy, airlines must suspend flights on a route for a week if five passengers test positive for coronavirus. If the number exceeds 10, the airline must suspend flights for four weeks.

As an incentive, carriers may increase the number of international flights to two per week on a route if for three consecutive weeks no passengers test positive for the virus from a nucleic acid test.