DELTA flights to China remains uncertain after a Seattle-Shanghai flight was turned back because of the needed to clean and disinfect the plane, Bloomberg reported.

The flight returned to Seattle "to be compliant with cleaning mandates required at Shanghai Pudong International Airport that were issued by the Chinese government on December 21," Delta said.

The requirements, which would have significantly extended ground time, are "not operationally viable," the airline added. The changes were announced on the same day the Delta flight reversed course.

It wasn't clear which Chinese government agency is imposing the sanitation procedures that prompted the Delta flight to turn back. China is stepping up Covid-related restrictions as the government seeks to stamp out an outbreak in the city of Xian, with the Beijing Winter Olympics set to begin in early February.

Source Shipping Gazette