Turkish Airlines suspends flights to China

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Airlines announced Friday that it is suspending flights to four Chinese destinations until Feb. 9 amid the coronavirus outbreak.

"In order to evaluate the situation and recent developments regarding the coronavirus with national and international authorities, we are suspending our flights to the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xian until Feb. 9," Yahya Ustun, Turkish Airlines’ senior vice president for media relations, said on Twitter.

The novel coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, which originated in Wuhan city, is said to have been transmitted to humans from animals, particularly bats.

The virus has raised alarm globally with cases reported across Asia, Europe, the U.S. and Canada.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide. Several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.