After cutting routes to some Asian markets, Delta is looking to launch flights to Shanghai within the next two years.

The Atlanta-based carrier filed a proposal to the US Department of Transportation to launch services between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Shanghai-Pudong in China. If approved by the US and Chinese governments, Delta plans to launch the flights by June 2020.



On the application, Delta stated: "The proposed flights will provide Minneapolis and St Paul area customers with the first nonstop service to China and enhance service at Delta’s hub at MSP (Minneapolis-St. Paul), expanding connecting service options for consumers across the Upper Midwest and the United States.” Delta also plans to use the new Airbus A350 aircraft on the route.

While the amount of flights between the US and China is limited and governed by existing agreements, Delta has proposed to start the service after two US airlines have reduced the number of flights to Shanghai this year. United Airlines ended its thrice-weekly service to Guam in March, followed by American Airlines move to end its non-stop Shanghai-Chicago connection last month.

Delta has flights to Beijing from Detroit and Seattle, while it has flights to Shanghai from Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The new flights will boost the airline’s flights to Asia from its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub, which recently saw Delta’s addition of flights to Seoul that will start in April of 2019.

Over the last few years, Delta has reduced the number of flights and destinations on its Asia network. It has reduced the amount of flights from its Tokyo-Narita hub, and ended its Hong Kong-Seattle flights.

The planned service by Delta would allow travelers to use its partner airlines based in Shanghai – Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern – for connections to other cities in China and Asia. Delta has a 3.5% stake in China Eastern that was acquired in 2015. For travelers from China and Asia, they would be able to connect to 100 destinations in North America at Minneapolis-St. Paul.

While it is waiting for approval, Delta is optimistic about the viability of the route. In a report from the Minnesota Star Tribune, a spokesman for Delta was quoted in saying: "Any [new air service] between the U.S. and China is a multistep process.”

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