Delta, American airlines halt flights to China amid coronavirus outbreak

The two largest US airlines plan to suspend all flights to China amid the country’s mushrooming coronavirus crisis.

American Airlines is halting trips to and from mainland China on Friday because of the outbreak that has so far killed 213 people, the company said.

The suspension will last through March 27 and American is still evaluating its schedule for later dates, the airline said.

Delta Air Lines will also temporarily halt US-to-China trips from Feb. 6 through April 30 because of the virus crisis, the company said Friday. Flights will continue until Feb. 5 “to ensure customers looking to exit China have options to do so,” said Delta, adding that it operates 42 flights a week between the US and China.

The cancellations came a day after the US State Department warned Americans not to travel to China because of the coronavirus, which the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency on Thursday.

The labor union representing American’s pilots sued the airline Thursday demanding a halt to its flights between the US and China. The suit by the Allied Pilots Association cited “serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by the coronavirus.”

American previously said it would suspend flights to Beijing and Shanghai from Los Angeles next month but continue operating trips from Dallas.

With Post wires