The Civil Aviation Administration of China has proposed lifting restrictions on the number of airlines allowed to operate international routes, which have for years limited certain routes to single state-owned operators.
Changes to the existing regulations would allow private airlines to compete with state-run airlines for routes between China and locations including the US, Australia, Britain, Southeast Asia, reports Caixin.
Currently, regulations on international flights limit routes for long-range destinations to single airlines. The route from Beijing to Los Angeles, for example, has been controlled by Air China for years.