British Airways is canceling its flights to Beijing starting in October due to the ban on flying over Russia.
Since Russia banned Western airlines from its airspace after the Ukraine invasion in 2022, flights have had to take longer routes. This has made flying more expensive because of higher fuel and crew costs.
Chinese airlines, however, can still use Russian airspace, giving them a cost advantage. Although British Airways had planned to keep flying to Beijing, it now faces “weak demand” in China and will suspend these flights until November 2025.
In addition to canceling Beijing flights, BA will also cut one of its two daily flights to Hong Kong but will continue to fly to Shanghai.
Virgin Atlantic has also announced it will stop its Shanghai flights starting in October, citing challenges and longer flight times.
This shift reflects broader difficulties in the travel market between Europe and China, where Chinese carriers dominate.
The changes are partly due to increased travel time and costs caused by the Russian airspace ban, which is affecting many airlines.
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ykrkv0m5mo