Flights from Manchester Airport to Beijing have been suspended by Hainan Airlines, with flights cancelled from February 6th to March 28th in response to the coronavirus outbreak in central China, the Manchester Evening News has reported.
Hainan Airlines normally operates three flights a week from Manchester to the Chinese capital, Beijing, during the winter and is currently the only direct route from Northern England to mainland China.
The UK government has urged all British nationals in mainland China to leave the country and warned against travel. The city of Wuhan where the coronavirus outbreak is believed to have started, home to 11 million people, has been quarantined by the Chinese authorities to curb the spread of the flu-like virus.
Cathay Pacific, which operates the Manchester to Hong Kong route, has not announced any cancellations, and it is unknown whether Juneyao Air’s new route from Manchester to Shanghai on China’s East coast will launch as planned in March.
Passengers scheduled to fly with Hainan Airline can contact the airline to rearrange travel or enquire about refunds on 0161 236 6184 or on their European help line on 008 008 768 9999.
Currently over 400 tests have been carried on UK residents returning to the country from China, however only two cases of the virus have been confirmed in the UK.