China is set to drastically cut its international flight routes in a bid to blunt the number of imported cases of the new coronavirus, the civil aviation authority said Thursday.

Flights out of China will be capped at just one route a week to each country, with international airlines also permitted only one route. China has not reported any new domestic infections from the deadly virus for two consecutive days, but imported cases have now surpassed 500.

Most of these infections involved Chinese nationals returning home. The Civil Aviation Administration of China also said the passenger load on flights in and out of China should not exceed 75 percent.

The adjusted flight routes are expected to start running from March 29, it added. The new measures come after the aviation authority said last week it would limit passenger numbers on inbound international flights, while all Beijing-bound international flights have been diverted to other urban centres.

There were 1,073 return international passenger flights scheduled to come to China this week.