British Airways announced on Thursday that it will “suspend” direct flights between London and Beijing starting from late October, making it the latest Western airline to reduce its China routes.
In a statement, British Airways said it will halt flights to the Chinese capital Beijing from October 26 until November 2025, without providing detailed reasons for the decision. The company also mentioned that they are “in contact with any affected customers, offering options for rebooking or providing full refunds.”
The airline stated that it will continue daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong, but did not disclose whether a new route will replace the Beijing service.
This move comes as European airlines face challenges due to the ban on flying over Russian airspace.
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led the EU to close its airspace to Russian flights. In response, Russia announced the closure of its airspace to airlines from 36 countries including the EU, UK, US, and Canada.
The ban means flights from Europe to China must take longer and more expensive routes to avoid Russian airspace.
Industry insiders point out that travel demand to China, especially in the business sector, has weakened.
British Airways is owned by International Airlines Group (IAG).
According to SkyNews, IAG’s CEO Luis Gallego recently warned that the company’s capacity in the Asian market has been “significantly reduced.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, British Airways suspended its flights between Beijing and London in January 2020, remaining grounded for three years until slowly resuming the Beijing route in June last year.
Last month, Virgin Atlantic announced it would suspend its last remaining route connecting London and Shanghai from October 26.
Qantas Airways Ltd. also announced on May 14 that it would suspend flights from Sydney to Shanghai starting from July 28 due to low demand.
Reuters reported that airlines such as Lufthansa Group indicated that Chinese airlines were allowed to fly over Russian airspace, leading to reduced profits for these carriers.
IAG stated that since its core business is mainly focused on North and South America, bookings and demand remain strong, minimizing the impact on the airline.