China has discussed diverting international flights away from Shanghai to other cities, as the financial centre’s growing omicron outbreak puts pressure on quarantine hotels and isolation facilities, according to people familiar with the matter.
The country’s aviation authority asked airlines to nominate alternative ports of arrival for Shanghai flights, the people said. Passenger routes from Hong Kong won’t be affected, they said.
Officials cited stretched capacity at the quarantine hotels all travelers into China are required to isolate in, and concerns that space may be needed if the outbreak in Shanghai worsens. China isolates all virus cases, including those in the community, as part of its COVID Zero policy.
The diversion may last for as long as six weeks, and could come into force as soon as mid-March, though it is still under consideration, according to one of the people.
Read more in an article from the American Journal of Transportation.