Oct. 7 — Delta Air Lines increased Shanghai Pudong–Los Angeles service from
three to five weekly flights. The extra frequencies mean current bilateral
scheduled passenger entitlements between China and the US have been fully used
for the first time. Under the post‑2024 arrangement each side may operate up to
50 round‑trip scheduled passenger flights per week (200 one‑way sectors total).
Two senior civil aviation experts said “used up” denotes carriers exercising all
allocated frequencies under the bilateral agreement and subsequent revisions —
designated carriers, points and weekly slots are allocated on a reciprocal basis
— and does not signify legal exhaustion of air rights. They said whether
entitlements are expanded and how airspace conditions evolve will be key to
further US‑China route restoration.
