British Airways is suspending direct flights from London Heathrow to Beijing amid a Russian airspace ban on European carriers.
The British carrier revealed plans to suspend its Beijing service from October 26 until November 2025.
The airline remained tight-lipped about the reasoning behind the decision. However, it is believed to be linked to the crippling impact of the Russian airspace ban, which has forced carriers to take longer, costlier routes to Asian destinations.
BA assured passengers that daily services to Shanghai and Hong Kong would continue uninterrupted.
The company has yet to reveal whether it plans to introduce an alternative route to fill the Beijing-shaped hole in its schedule.
British Airways only reinstated the Beijing route just over a year ago after a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Traffic from China to Europe has been very slow to recover since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, with many flights on the route now dominated by Chinese carriers.
Virgin Atlantic also recently announced it would end its route to Shanghai in October.
Groups such as Lufthansa have said competition from Chinese carriers, which are allowed to fly over Russian airspace, has cut into their earnings.
IAG, which owns BA, has said that it is not strongly affected as much of its core business is focused on North and South America, where bookings and demand remain strong.
