Russia airspace ban forces BA to drop China flights

British Airways will drop its flights to Beijing from October, as it feels the impact of being banned from Russian airspace.

Western airlines have been banned from flying over Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

This has forced them to fly longer routes, leading to longer flight times and higher costs, including for fuel and crew.

Chinese airlines are still able to fly over Russia, giving them a commercial advantage.

When British Airways (BA) resumed flights last year, after pausing during the Covid-19 pandemic, it said Heathrow to Beijing was “one of our most important routes”.

However, in a call with investors last month, Nicholas Cadbury, the chief financial officer of BA’s parent company IAG, said it faced “weak demand” in China.

The airline now says Beijing flights will be suspended until November 2025, but schedules will remain under review.

BA is also dropping one of its two daily flights to Hong Kong. It will continue flying to Shanghai.

Air traffic between Europe and China has been slow to recover since the pandemic, with Chinese carriers taking a majority of the market.

Last month Virgin Atlantic also announced plans to cancel its flights from Shanghai, its only destination in China, from October.

It said “significant challenges and complexities on this route have contributed to the commercial decision to suspend flying to Shanghai.”

It said flight times were approximately one hour longer to Shanghai, and two hours longer on the way back to London.