The aviation industry must continue to learn from past lessons and work together to curb the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general Andrew Herdman said as many airlines move to suspend flights to Chinese cities.

An increasing number of airlines across the world are making major operational changes in response to the effects of the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak that began in Wuhan, China.

WHO cautions that ‘not enough’ is known yet about virus to make definitive conclusions.

British Airways (BA) announced Jan. 29 that it will suspend all direct flights to China, effective immediately, after the Foreign Office urged all Britons to cancel any nonessential trips to China as the novel coronavirus outbreak expands.

American and Delta have not yet made schedule changes because of coronavirus.

United Airlines announced on Jan. 28 it will temporarily suspend some flights between China and Hong Kong and several of its large U.S. hub cities, citing a “significant decline in demand for travel to China” as a result of the spread of a deadly coronavirus in the country. 

Governments around the globe are planning special charter flights to repatriate their citizens from Wuhan, China, as the city lockdown nears its first full week. 

EASA has published a bulletin giving guidance on how airlines and airport operators can limit the risk of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections spreading on flights, among crew members and in spaces they control.