Chinese air travel posts biggest decline since start of pandemic

Airline seat capacity in China dropped the most since early in the Covid-19 pandemic, as rising cases of the delta variant spurred fresh restrictions on movement.

The number of seats being offered by carriers plunged 32% in one week, accelerating a decline in the country that began at the end of July, based on data from aviation specialist OAG. China’s wobble sent global capacity to a weekly 6.5% slide, as comebacks stagnated in Europe and North America.

The surge in Chinese cases has dealt a blow to tourism on the mainland during the peak summer holiday. China, which for a time during the crisis overtook the U.S. as the world’s largest aviation market, is battling its broadest outbreak since the virus first emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019.