LONDON: British Airways announced on Thursday it will be “pausing” direct flights between London and the Chinese capital Beijing from late October, the latest Western airline to curb routes to China.
The move comes as airlines struggle with an airspace ban over Russia, introduced after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted the EU to shut its airspace to Russian flights.
The ban means flights to and from Europe to China must take longer and more costly routes to avoid Russian airspace.
The industry has also pointed to softening demand for travel to China, in particular in the corporate sector.
“We will be pausing our route to Beijing from 26 October 2024, and we’re contacting any affected customers with rebooking options or to offer them a full refund,” British Airways said in a statement.
“We continue to operate daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong,” it added.
Last month, another UK carrier, Virgin Atlantic, announced it will suspend its last remaining route between the UK and China, connecting London and Shanghai, also from October 26.
The British Airways suspension will initially last until November 2025, with the airline saying it will then review resuming the route.
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