A British Airways Embraer ERJ-190SR prepares to take off from London City Airport in London, Britain, April 11, 2024. (Reuters)

British Airways suspends Beijing flights on airspace challenges

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British Airways will suspend flights from London to Beijing starting October 26, the latest airline to pull services to China amid continued Russian airspace closure and weaker demand.

The airline, owned by IAG SA, said it will halt services until November 2025 and offer affected passengers options to rebook or take a full refund, according to an emailed statement. BA will continue to operate daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong, according to the statement.

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A number of carriers have reduced or curtailed services to China amid slower demand and longer flight times caused by having to fly around Russian airspace. This month, IAG Chief Executive Officer Luis Gallego said that the group was seeing weakness in China and Asia.

BA’s Beijing suspension comes days after the airline axed one of its two daily flights to Hong Kong. Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. is also suspending services to China from October on the airspace closures, while Qantas Airways Ltd. cited weak demand when it curbed its Sydney to Shanghai services.

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