How airlines have responded to the coronavirus spread

Qantas and Air New Zealand are the latest airlines to announce the cancellation of flights to China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Passengers have their body temperature assessed by check-in staff ahead of a flight from Tokyo to the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan, China.

Passengers have their body temperature assessed by check-in staff ahead of a flight from Tokyo to the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan, China. Source: Yomiuri Shimbun

Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak, which has so far killed more than 250 people and infected almost12,000 people.

Here is the latest on their plans:

AIR CANADA

Air Canada said on 28 January it was cancelling select flights to China.

AIR FRANCE

Air France said on 30 January it suspended all scheduled flights to and from mainland China until 9 February.

AIR INDIA

Air India said it was cancelling its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight from 31 January to 14 February.

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Air New Zealand said on 1 February it will suspend its Auckland-Shanghai service from 9 February to 29 March due to travel restrictions affecting crew and a decline in forward bookings.
Chinese travelers wearing face masks at 'Leonardo Da Vinci' airport in Fiumicino, near Rome, Italy.
Chinese travelers wearing face masks at 'Leonardo Da Vinci' airport in Fiumicino, near Rome, Italy. Source: ANSA
AIR SEOUL

South Korean budget carrier Air Seoul said on 28 January it had suspended all flights to China.

AIR TANZANIA

Tanzania's state-owned carrier said it would postpone its maiden flights to China. It had planned to begin charter flights to China in February.

AMERICAN AIRLINES

American Airlines said it will cancel flights to Beijing and Shanghai starting 31 January, and run through 27 March, though it will continue to fly to Hong Kong.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

BA said on 30 January it had cancelled all flights to mainland China for a month.
CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific said it would progressively reduce capacity to and from mainland China by 50 per cent or more from January 30 to the end of March.

DELTA AIR LINES

Delta Air Lines accelerated earlier announced suspensions: the last China-bound flights will leave on 1 February, and the last returning flights from China will leave China on 2 February.

EGYPTAIR

Egypt's flag carrier said on 30 January it would suspend all flights to and from China starting 1 February.

EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES

El Al Israel Airlines said on 30 January it was suspending flights to Beijing until 25 March. Israel's Health Ministry said it will not allow flights from China to land at its airports.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

The African carrier on January 30 denied reports it had suspended all flights to China. The airline's statement contradicted its passenger call centre, which told Reuters earlier in the day that flights to China had been suspended.
A passengers sits in a mostly empty airplane wearing protection mask against the coronavirus during a flight bound for Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
A passengers sits in a mostly empty airplane wearing protection mask against the coronavirus during a flight bound for Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Source: EPA
ETIHAD AIRWAYS

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said passenger flights between Beijing and Nagoya, in Japan, had been temporarily suspended due to low travel demand.

FINNAIR

Finland's Finnair said it was cancelling all flights to mainland China between 6 February and 29 February and to Guangzhou between 5 February and 29 March.

HAINAN AIRLINES

China's Hainan Airlines suspended its flights between Budapest, Hungary, and Chongqing from 7 February until 27 March, Budapest Airport said on its Facebook page.

KENYA AIRWAYS

Kenya Airways said on 31 January it has suspended all flights to China until further notice.

LION AIR

Indonesia's Lion Air Group said on January 29 it would suspend all flights to China from February. The airline has suspended six flights from several Indonesian cities to China so far and will suspend the rest next month.
LOT POLISH AIRLINES

Polish carrier LOT said it had decided to temporarily suspend its flights to Beijing until 9 February.

LUFTHANSA

Germany's Lufthansa said on 29 January it was suspending Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines flights to and from China until 9 February. The airline continues to fly to Hong Kong, but it will stop taking bookings for flights to mainland China until the end of February.

PHILIPPINES AIRLINES

Philippine Airlines said it would cut the number of flights between Manila and China by more than 50 per cent, starting this month. It would continue to serve Filipinos and Chinese nationals returning from the Lunar New Year holidays.

QANTAS AIRWAYS

Qantas said on 1 February it was suspending direct flights to mainland China. The Australian national carrier's direct flights from Sydney to Beijing and Sydney to Shanghai will be halted from 9 February until 29 March.
Australia's national carrier said on February 1 it was suspending direct flights to mainland China.
Australia's national carrier said on February 1 it was suspending direct flights to mainland China. Source: Press Association
QATAR AIRWAYS

Qatar Airways said on 1 February it will suspend flights to mainland China from Monday until further notice.

ROYAL AIR MAROC

Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has temporarily suspended its direct flights to China, the company said on 30 January. RAM had on 16 January launched a direct air route with three flights weekly between its Casablanca hub and Beijing.

RUSSIA

All Russian airlines, with the exception of national airline Aeroflot, will stop flying to China, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said.

RWANDAIR

Rwanda carrier RwandAir has halted flights to and from China until further notice, the airline said in a statement on Friday. The decision will be reviewed later in February, it said.

SAS

Nordic airline SAS said on 30 January it has decided to suspend all flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing from 31 January until 9 February.
SCOOT

Singapore airline Scoot said it was suspending all flights between Singapore and China from 8 February, media reported.

SHANGHAI AIRLINES

Shanghai Airlines said on 31 January it would suspend its Chengdu-Budapest flight between 4 February and 28 March and its Xi'an-Budapest flight between 6 February and 26 March according to a statement on the website of the Budapest Airport operator.

The airline's Shanghai-Budapest flight is unaffected.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

Singapore Airlines Ltd said on 31 January it would reduce capacity on some of its routes to mainland China in February.

The cuts include flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xiamen and Chongqing, some of which are flown by regional arm SilkAir. Its budget carrier Scoot is also cutting back on flights to China.

TURKISH AIRLINES

Turkey's flag carrier said on 30 January it would decrease frequency on scheduled flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xian between 5 February and 29 February.

TURKMENISTAN AIRLINES

Turkmenistan Airlines, the Central Asian nation's state carrier, said on 1 February it had suspended flights to and from Beijing.

UNITED AIRLINES

Chicago-based United announced cancellations, saying last flights out of mainland China will be 5 February, running through 28 March.

United had previously suspended 24 US flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai between 1 February and 8 February because of a significant drop in demand.
Passengers wearing protective masks arrive at Sydney International Airport.
Passengers wearing protective masks arrive at Sydney International Airport. Source: AAP
UNITED PARCEL SERVICE

UPS has cancelled 22 China flights, as a result of the Wuhan quarantines and normal manufacturing closures due to the Lunar New Year holiday, UPS Chief Executive David Abney said on 30 January. He did not specify how many flights cancellations were due to the virus.

VIETJET

Vietnam's Vietjet will suspend all flights to and from China from 1 February, the company said on 31 January. Vietnam Airlines will suspend some flights to China.

VIETNAM AIRLINES

Vietnam Airlines will suspend its flights to destinations in China next week over coronavirus concerns, the company said on Friday.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

Virgin Atlantic said on 30 January it would suspend its daily operations to Shanghai for two weeks from 2 February. It cited declining demand for flights and the safety of its customers and staff.


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7 min read
Published 2 February 2020 11:44am
Updated 22 February 2022 6:50pm


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