The war between Russia and Ukraine has affected the routes to the Far East of European airlines, increasing operating costs and making them economically unviable. Given the context, the airlines decided that a suspension of its services is unavoidable.
LOT Polish Airlines
According to reports from the airline, LOT Polish Airlines has suspended its flights between Warsaw and Beijing-Capital for this winter season, leaving Ari China as the only airline to fly between Poland and China.
The airline connected both capitals with three weekly flights (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) on Boeing 787s. In addition to Russian airspace restrictions, competition from Chinese airlines is also part of the decision to suspend this service. LOT’s network to the Far East has services to Tokyo-Narita and Seoul-Incheon.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines
SAS is suspending its flights to Mainland China with the cessation of its operations between Copenhagen and Shanghai-Pudong on Airbus A350 from November 7, 2024. In recent years, the airline has reduced its services to Greater China, in 2019 it suspended its flights to Hong Kong and in 2020 to Beijing-Capital.
The airline stresses that the condition is due to «market conditions», the affected passengers will be relocated on flights of its partners Air France-KLM through its hubs in Amsterdam and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. With the cessation of SAS operations in Shanghai, Air China is the only airline to fly between Denmark and China.
European airlines continue to cut flights to China
In addition to the announcements by SAS and LOT, Lufthansa has suspended the Frankfurt-Beijing route, leaving only the connection between Munich and the Chinese capital, Virgin Atlantic has ceased its operations between London-Heathrow and Shanghai-Pudong, and British Airways has suspended the non-stop connection London Heathrow-Beijing Daxing.
