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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Tom Herbert

Which flights to China have been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak and can I get a refund?

Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia at Los Angeles International Airport (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

A number of airlines have suspended or cancelled flights to China following the latest coronavirus outbreak.

At least 638 people had been killed by the virus and more than 31,000 people have been affected by the virus according to official figures.

Officials have confirmed that two people in the UK have tested positive for the virus, with both believed to be members of the same family.

As many as 26 different countries have so far reported having cases of the virus, including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Dubai, Germany and Sri Lanka.

Two deaths have been reported outside of mainland China, one in Hong Kong and one in the Philipinnes.

Here is the latest information on the airlines' plans.

Air Canada

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

Air France

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

Air India

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

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand said on January 31 it was temporarily reducing flights between Auckland and Shanghai to four return services a week from February 18 to March 31 rather than the usual daily flights.

Air Seoul

South Korean budget carrier Air Seoul said on January 28 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

The largest US carrier said it would suspend flights from Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai from February 9 to March 27.

British Airways

BA said on January 30 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

The US airline said on January 29 it was reducing flights to China to 21 per week from 42, starting February 6 through April 30.

EgyptAir

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

El Al Israel Airlines

El Al Israel Airlines said on January 30 it was suspending flights to Beijing until March 25. 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.

Finnair

Finland's Finnair said on January 28 it would suspend its flights to Nanjing and Beijing until the end of March after China suspended international group travel from the country.

Finnair will suspend its three weekly flights between Helsinki and Beijing Daxing between February 5 and March 29 and its two weekly flights between Helsinki and Nanjing between February 8 and March 29.

Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways said on January 31 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.

Lufthansa

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

Royal Air Maroc

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

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 January 30 it has decided to suspend all flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing from January 31 until February 9.

SAS offers 12 regular weekly connections from and to Shanghai and Beijing.

Shanghai Airlines

Shanghai Airlines said on January 31 it would suspend its Chengdu-Budapest flight between February 4 and March 28 and its Xi'an-Budapest flight between February 6 and March 26 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 January 31 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 January 30 it would decrease frequency on scheduled flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xian between February 5 and February 29.

United Airlines

Chicago-based United said it would implement a second phase of flight cancellations between its hub cities in the United States and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai, resulting in 332 additional round trips being called off through March 28.

The cancellations will reduce the carrier's daily departures for mainland China and Hong Kong to four daily departures from 12.

United had previously suspended 24 US flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai between February 1 and February 8 because of a significant drop in demand.

United Parcel Service Inc

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 January 30. 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 February 1, the company said on January 31.

Virgin Atlantic

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

Can I get a refund on cancelled flights?

A number of flights are offering passengers refunds or the option to re-book onto other carriers or flights where possible.

These airlines include Air France, British Airway, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, China Eastern and Air China.

Airlines are under no legal obligation to offer refunds as the coronavirus is classed as an "extraordinary circumstance", so it is advised that passengers contact their airline directly.

However, you may be covered by your insurance or travel company, so it is worth checking with them.

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