#Delta is first airline to resume flights between US and China

Delta Air Lines said on Monday it would resume flights between Seattle and Shanghai on June 25, making it the first US airline to restart operations between the US and China after flights were suspended in February due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flights will operate twice a week in June and once a week starting July from Seattle and Detroit, Delta said.

Last week, the US Transportation Department said the US and China would each allow four weekly flights between the two countries, easing the standoff on travel restrictions in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

However, the US on Friday rejected a request by Chinese airlines for additional weekly flights between the two countries, but said the decision was not meant to escalate tensions over travel restrictions.

United Airlines had also said it was looking to relaunch flights to China in the coming weeks.

Delta, which added 100 domestic flights in June as state-wide lockdowns were lifted, has said it expects to end the year with $10 billion in cash and cash equivalents.

Shares of the company were trading up by almost 1 percent, to $29.78, in the early afternoon.