More China flights dropped as US tells Americans not to go

Singapore Airlines and its SilkAir unit will cut flights to seven cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai starting Feb. 3 to March 1., adding to carriers around the world paring services to contain a virus outbreak.

On Thursday evening in the U.S., the State Dept. warned Americans not to travel to China as the deadly coronavirus spreads. Hours after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency, the U.S. issued the advisory and said Americans visiting or living in China should try to leave.

Japan-based carrier ANA said Friday it may need to considering canceling China flights, Kyodo News reported, citing the airline’s President Yuji Hirako.

European carriers led by British Airways had earlier said they were quitting China as the deadly coronavirus spreads.

Moves to abandon routes to Beijing and Shanghai indicate escalating levels of concern, with both cities hundreds of kilometers from the focus of the viral outbreak around Wuhan in the country’s central Hubei province.

U.S. carriers are taking a more conservative approach to scrapping flights, with the three top operators paring timetables without exiting China completely, and citing lower demand due to the virus for the changes, rather than direct health concerns. The White House is leaving decisions on flights to airlines for now, Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump’s economic adviser, said in Washington.

United Airlines Holdings Inc. will cut its 12 daily departures to China and Hong Kong to four, with the change to be implemented Feb. 9, running until March 27. It cited a significant drop in load factors for the move.

American Airlines Group Inc. is suspending flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai and Beijing over the same period, also citing lower demand, while continuing to serve the Chinese cities from its Dallas-Fort Worth base. The Allied Pilots Association, representing aviators at American, filed suit Thursday to force an immediate halt to all the carrier’s China flights. The union also advised pilots to decline to operate flights between the countries other than return legs from China.

Delta Air Lines Inc. will halve China flights to 21 a week from Feb. 6 through April 30.

Singapore Airlines’ budget unit Scoot will suspend services to 11 cities, including Xi’an and Ningbo, from early February until the end of March. It will also reduce flights to eight destinations, including Guangzhou and Qingdao, from Feb. 1 to March 28.

British Airways will cease flights to Beijing and Shanghai until March 1 after acting on U.K. Foreign Office advice.

Iberia is also suspending operations to China.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Air France and SAS AB said they’ll exit China until Feb. 9.

Virgin Atlantic said it would cease flights to Shanghai for 14 days starting Feb. 1.

Italy halted all flights to and from China after confirming two coronavirus cases.

KLM told Bloomberg that China remains part of its network, albeit with reduced service.

Other schedule changes:

• Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. said it would cut capacity to China by 50% or more through March.
• Air Canada is suspending flights to Beijing and Shanghai from Jan. 30 until Feb. 29.
• Korean Air Lines Co. has ended flights to Wuhan and from Feb. 2 to Feb. 22 it will also halt seven routes and reduce services on five more.