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Major Asian airlines reduce China bound flights due to coronavirus

Major Asian airlines have temporarily suspended flights to China due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific and Japan carrier All Nippon Airways are the latest carriers to join the list of global airlines that have issued notices related to temporarily decrease or suspend flight operations to and from China.

Cathay Pacific has decided to gradually reduce mainland China-bound flights by around 90% as the viral infection continues to spread.

The decision was taken as the outbreak has resulted in a significant drop in market demand for their flights, according to Cathay Pacific.

The carrier has also warned of reductions on the rest of the network during the next two months subject to market conditions and other factors.

The total impact across the Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon network is expected to result in a capacity reduction of approximately 30%. These reductions are temporary for now and are driven by the commercial and operational factors, noted the airline.

Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have also temporarily suspended some flights until 28 and 29 March, respectively.

Several other Asia and Oceania carriers such as Air Asia Korean Air Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, Qantas, Air New Zealand and more have all notified customers of temporary flight reductions.

Some major US airlines including American Airlines, United and Delta have recently responded similarly to the situation in China. European and Middle Eastern airlines have also followed suit.

Declared as a global emergency by the WHO, the outbreak has disrupted domestic and international travel, severely impacting the global aviation market.

Originating in Wuhan, the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has infected a total of 28,289 people with the death toll rising to 565 as of 6 February.

Details

  • Hong Kong
  • Cathay Pacific