U.K. flag carrier British Airways (BA) suspended all flights to and from the Chinese mainland Wednesday, in the most drastic action taken by an airline over the country’s deadly coronavirus outbreak.
It follows a decision by U.S. carrier United Airlines’ to suspend dozens of flights to China starting Feb. 1.
A BA spokesperson told Caixin by email that flights had been suspended “for the next few days while we assess the situation.”
“We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority,” the airline said in a statement.
Significantly, the company cited advice from the British Foreign Office about the dangers of coronavirus, unlike United which told Caixin it took the decision “due to a significant decline in demand for travel to China.”
“Given the inability thus far of China's health authorities to rein in the spread of the coronavirus, it's not hard to see why the likes of BA have taken the drastic step to scrap flights to China altogether,” said StrategicAero Research Chief Analyst Saj Ahmad.
He said he expected other airlines to follow suit. “At this point, I can see every major blue chip carrier you can think of re-evaluating their China operations.”
While the move will impact BA’s bookings and revenue in the short term, it would be felt more strongly in China where it will dent trade and spending by business travelers and tourists, Ahmad told Caixin. And it will “lead to questions about how capable (China) is when dealing with a crisis of this magnitude.”
“I think the next day or two will be critical. If more cases are uncovered, then I am sure airlines will de-risk their exposure and start axing flights for an indeterminate amount of time.”
Several other airlines, including Japan’s ANA, Russia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, have already offered to waive fees for rescheduling flights.
On Tuesday, the U.S.-based United Airlines announced the suspension of 24 flights to Wuhan and three other Chinese cities between Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, citing reduced travel demand.
“We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and will adjust our schedule as needed,” the company said.
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan all enhanced their precautionary measures by reducing transportation links with the Chinese mainland or imposing entry restrictions.
Flights between Hong Kong and the mainland will be reduced by half and high-speed trains, tour buses and ferries between the two regions will be suspended from Thursday onwards, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday.
Macao advised visitors holding passports issued in Wuhan to leave voluntarily if they do not show any signs of an infection.
Contact reporter Flynn Murphy (flynnmurphy@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)
