The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will ban all commercial passenger flights by chinese airlines.
The move, announced by the Department of Transportation, will take effect on June 16 and responds to China’s refusal to allow US carriers to resume service to China.
The decision would affect the operations of seven airlines, including Air China and China Eastern Airlines.
The department said the ban could go into effect earlier at the discretion of President Trump.
US airlines stopped flights to China after the Trump administration imposed a travel ban that went into effect in early February.
Delta and United hoped to resume service in early June, but rules imposed by the Chinese authorities prevented them from doing so.