Chinese Airline Suspends Direct Nairobi Flights

China has suspended its direct flights to Kenya in a bid to try halt the spread of the newly identified coronavirus that has infected hundreds.

The move by China Southern Airlines to cancel its four weekly direct flights till end of June came a week after the Kenya Airways stopped its flights to Guangzhou, China.

Several countries issued travel warnings about China; some airlines even suspended flights to China. Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines cancelled their connections to and from Beijing until February 29. The Chinese authorities urged its population to postpone travel abroad and prohibited domestic travel groups.

“The last Changsha flight will be on February 9 (Sunday), and the Guangzhou will be on February 10 (Monday), and this changes will last up to March 28,” said the airlines marketing manager, Belinda Agwena. “The cancellation of the flights has largely been driven by the need to combat coronavirus.”

Passengers will have the option of using airlines with connecting hubs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia to travel to Kenya or China. Some of the major airlines which have suspended their flights to and from China include Air Canada, American Airlines, Air Asia, Japan Airlines, British Airways and Qatar Airways.

According to the latest reports, about 37,198 people have been infected in China alone with 2,600 new cases having been reported on Sunday. The death toll had reached 637 in Mainland China on Friday.