British Airways has suspended bookings for all direct flights from London to Beijing and Shanghai as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, with warnings to avoid non-essential travel to China.
The airline's website shows no direct flights to China are available in January and February, indicating that flights to Beijing and Shanghai will not resume until March.
A spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the airline was "assessing the situation".
On Tuesday (local time), Britain advised against "all but essential" travel to mainland China due to the outbreak.
On Wednesday evening (NZ time), cases of coronavirus overtook the number of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) cases during 2003 and 2004, the death toll rising to 131 with 5,974 confirmed cases.
The airline is also offering its customers the option of rebooking or refunding flights to China, including Hong Kong.
On its website, British Airways says: "If you are flying between January 26 - February 23, 2020 you can rebook on to another flight operated by British Airways to the same destination. This must be in the same cabin class as the original flight or a lower cabin if available. This also includes any connecting flights that are operated by British Airways.
"If you are flying between January 26 - February 23, 2020, you can request a refund. This also includes any redemption bookings."
Newshub / Reuters
