British Airways Cancels 216 Flights to Various Global Destinations over Coronavirus, Including 12 to the US

British Airways on Monday announced the cancellation of over 200 flights to several destinations worldwide due to reduced demand occasioned by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The airline said it is canceling 216 flights from London to various destinations among them New York, Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany and Ireland from March 16th to 28th.

The canceled flights include 12 from Heathrow Airport in London to JFK Airport in New York, a route that earns the British national carrier over $1 billion in revenue annually. 

“To match reduced demand due to the continuing coronavirus issue, we are merging a number of flights between March 16 and March 28.” 

"We will be contacting customers on canceled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including rebooking onto other carriers where possible, full refunds or booking with BA for a later date of travel," the airlines said in a statement.

In addition, 171 short-haul flights from Heathrow to Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Albania, and Switzerland have also be canceled.

BA had previously canceled all flights to mainland China and some to and from Italy, Singapore and South Korea due to the outbreak of the deadly virus.