Daily US Times, London: British Airways has suspended all flights between the UK and mainland China as Coronavirus is spreading at an alarming level.
On Wednesday, the company issued a statement confirming the decision with ”immediate effect following advice from the Foreign Office against all but essential travel.”
UK Foreign Office warned its citizens not to travel to mainland China.
British Airways’ decision is the most drastic yet by a major airline as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread. The virus killed 132 people so far, most of them are from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Nearly 6,000 cases are reported across China with dozens of more cases confirmed in places such as the United States, Japan, Germany, and France.
According to the British Airways website, the airline operates direct flights from London Heathrow to Beijing (PKX) and Shanghai (PVG).
The direct BA flights between the UK and mainland China will be unavailable to book online through February 29 but passengers can still book BA flights to mainland China via connections in cities such as Hong Kong.
Yesterday United Airlines (UAL) temporarily reduced its schedule between the United States and three cities in China. BA decision came just a day after it.
United Airlines said they took the decision after “significant decline in demand”. The carrier suspends flights from February 1 through February 8 between its US hubs and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
There are 24 round trips that are affected following the decision. The flights are between Hong Kong to San Francisco and Newark; Beijing (PEK) to Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare and Newark; and Shanghai (PVG) to San Francisco, Newark and Chicago O’Hare.
Finland’s Finnair canceling three weekly flights between Helsinki and Beijing (PKX) between February 5 and March 29, and two weekly flights between Helsinki and Nanjing (NKG) between February 8 and March 29, because of the suspension of group travel by Chinese authorities. It will continue to operate flights to Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG), Hong Kong (HKG) and Guangzhou (CAN).
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