British Airways has announced the suspension of its flights between London Heathrow and Beijing, effective from October 26, 2024, until November 2025, media reports have said.
British Airways, part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), only recently resumed its London-Beijing route in June 2023 after a three-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the significance of this route, the airline has decided to pause operations to Beijing while maintaining daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for British Airways stated, ‘We will be pausing our route to Beijing from October 26, and we’re contacting any affected customers with rebooking options or to offer them a full refund. We continue to operate daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong.’
The decision comes as many Western airlines, including British Airways, are avoiding Russian airspace, leading to increased flight times, higher fuel costs, and additional complexities in crew and aircraft deployment.
The airline did not disclose any immediate plans to introduce a new route to replace the Beijing service. However, this move reflects a broader industry trend, as other carriers, like Virgin Atlantic, have also announced the suspension of routes to China, including the Shanghai service, scheduled to end in October.
Industry experts anticipate that reduced competition and limited capacity could lead to an increase in airfare prices for flights to China and other major Asian destinations.
European and British airlines have faced significant challenges due to their inability to fly over Russian airspace, making routes to Asia longer and less cost-effective. This has allowed Chinese carriers, which are permitted to fly over Russia, to gain a competitive advantage on these routes.
