Chinese aviation authorities have suspended flights between Portugal and China for one month, after detecting 10 cases of Covid-19 on 12 June on a flight from Lisbon.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the flight between Lisbon and Xi’an, operated by Beijing Capital Airlines, will be suspended from 27 June.

Flights to China are subject to the “circuit breaker” policy; if five or more cases are detected on board, the connection is suspended for two weeks. If there are 10 or more cases, the flight is suspended for one month.

Beijing Capital Airlines to resume China-Portugal direct flights

China authorises only one flight per city and per airline, which reduced the number of international air connections to the country by 98 per cent, compared to the pre-pandemic period.

The weekly flight between Portugal and China was only resumed on 12 June, after being suspended for more than six months. The authorities in Xi’an, suspended the connection with Lisbon on 25 December, as the Shaanxi region was facing an outbreak of Covid-19. The city only resumed international flights this month.

Anyone arriving in China must also comply with a quarantine period of up to three weeks, in facilities designated by the government.