Staff ReporterBritish Airways has suspended bookings on its website for direct flights from London to Beijing and Shanghai until March, after warnings over travel to China due to the coronavirus outbreak.
BA.com, the airline’s website, shows no direct flights to China are available in January and February. A spokeswoman for the airline said on Wednesday it was “assessing the situation”.
Britain on Tuesday advised against “all but essential” travel to mainland China due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The statement set by airline executives to crewmembers reads, in part:
The situation regarding the new coronavirus in China is constantly developing and tonight the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office position has changed, advising against all but essential travel to China. As you would expect, this situation has been monitored constantly for the last week and updates have been provided for our colleagues on the One portal. A contingency group has met again tonight (Tuesday) to define a plan and there will be a further operational update early on Wednesday.
The safety of our colleagues remains our priority. The aircraft currently airborne to PVG and PKX will return with all crew currently downroute in these locations… For our Chinese crew based in PKX and PVG who are currently on trips in London, we are making arrangements to get you home.
