Scoot, SIA and SilkAir slash flights to China amid viral concerns

Flight frequencies on Scoot will be reduced for eight cities. Meanwhile, SIA and SilkAir will also reduce flights to mainland China. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Singapore Airlines' budget carrier Scoot is suspending flights from Singapore to 11 cities in mainland China from this month due to the growing scale of the Wuhan virus.

The budget airline will also be reducing flights to eight other cities.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir will also reduce capacity on selected routes to mainland China this month, subject to regulatory approvals.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Scoot announced that the airline would be making adjustments to its network in China, Hong Kong and Macau "due to weak demand and operational constraints arising from the growing scale of the novel coronavirus outbreak".

Scoot will suspend flights between Singapore and 11 cities in mainland China - Harbin, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Xi'an, Changsha, Nanchang, Zhengzhou, Ningbo, Jinan, Nanning and Wuxi - from early this month till the end of next month.

Affected customers booked on these flights will receive a full refund of unused itinerary value via their original mode of payment.

Flight frequencies on Scoot will be reduced for eight cities - Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Kunming, Nanjing, Qingdao, Tianjin and Macau - from today to March 2.

Some flights between Singapore and Guangzhou, Nanjing, Macau and Hong Kong will also be cancelled.

Affected customers will receive e-mails from Scoot with further information on refunds and rebooking options.

Meanwhile, SIA and SilkAir will also reduce flights to mainland China this month, subject to regulatory approvals.

In a Facebook post yesterday, SIA announced that the airline as well as SilkAir would be cancelling some flights between Singapore and several cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chengdu and Chongqing.

Affected customers will be notified and re-accommodated on to other flights, it added.

SIA currently operates 56 weekly flights to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, while SilkAir operates 36 weekly flights to Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenzhen and Xiamen.

Scoot currently operates 100 weekly flights to 18 points in China, excluding Wuhan.

British Airways has suspended all flights to and from China until next month, citing safety concerns for its crew and customers.

United Airlines has also said it was cancelling some flights to China as demand plunges and global companies tell their employees not to travel on deepening fears over the spread of the virus.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 01, 2020, with the headline Scoot, SIA and SilkAir slash flights to China amid viral concerns. Subscribe