Why is British Airways halting flights to Beijing?

The different airlines around the world share services to make the journey more convenient and comfortable for their respective travelers. They also make some harsh decisions or stop some services because of certain reasons. These reasons could be taken because of the activities happening on international levels. Some airlines have halted their flights to certain countries because of conflicts or ongoing war, and on the other hand, the reason is sometimes domestic. 

Recently, British Airways has taken a decision to halt its flights to Beijing from London. These flights mainly include all the direct flights from Beigin to London Heathrow. 

The executives from the airline said, “We will be pausing our route to Beijing from 26 October 2024, and we're contacting any affected customers with rebooking options or to offer them a full refund.” Further, they added, "We continue to operate daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong.”

According to the reports, the airline has not announced or stated any reasons for this. However, it is clear that the flight from Asia to Europe has certainly become extensively costly. The problems do not end here as the flights were not only expensive but they have become time-consuming. The main reason for this is the war that is happening in Ukraine, which directly indicates that all the western airlines have no choice but to avoid Russian Airspace. 

It is certain that the airline have to take a longer route, which will take time and cause other troubles and inconveniences in the journey.  

The cease on the flight is not permanent as it will be for a limited time period from October 26th until November 2025. The airlines declared the halting of flights on this route with dates and other route-related details on Thursday. 

British Airways has recently re-started the route of Beijing after a long pause on these services because of COVID-19. The route has again starts to witness difficulties and the airline has halted it for a limited period of time. 

Further, British Airways said that there will not be any other impact as it will continue to fly daily from Shanghai and Hong Kong. The airline did not inform us whether they are going to make changes to the route as the latter one includes Beijing. It is said that the airline will come with an advisory or inform the travelers about it in detail soon. 

The problem is not for the one airline as it is affecting other airlines as well that have to cross the Russian Airspace. Recently, Virgin Atlantic also announced that it is going to end its route to Shanghai in October. Lufthansa Groups has also declared that they are facing challenges because of the Russian Airspace, which is causing a cut in their earnings. 
 

All the airlines who have put a halt to the flights to China have no intention of keeping the halt for so long. They are looking forward to stopping the ban and resuming the route services as soon as possible. Therefore, calling it a ban would not be sensible as it is just a pause on the route, which will resume next year. 

Travelers who have been facing challenges because of this and having trouble understanding what routes are affected by this decision can contact the customer service executives of British Airlines. Dial 1 (800) 247-9297, the customer service phone number, and talk to the representatives. Share your concerns with them so they can provide help. You can enquire about anything from what routes are affected to when and how these routes will resume. 

Another way could be to reach out to the official website of British Airways as you will find all the information that is required for a trouble-free journey.