United Airlines will cancel all flights to and from Hong Kong beginning February 8 until February 20 due to a “continued drop in demand”.

The US carrier said its last flights will depart San Francisco on February 5 (flight 877 and flight 869) and the last returning flight will depart Hong Kong on February 7 (flight 862).

The move follows American Airlines’ decision to cancel its flights to Hong Kong, which it announced on Tuesday. The Texas-based carrier said its flights between Hong Kong and Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles will be suspended until February 20.

The coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has claimed 492 lives and the total number of confirmed cases has reached 24,536 as of Wednesday, according to the South China Morning Post. Hong Kong reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday.

United flies to Hong Kong from New York, Newark, and  San Francisco.

The airline had earlier cancelled its flights to Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai, joining a growing list of carriers who have suspended or trimmed their mainland China routes due to dwindling demand in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

More airlines suspend flights to China over coronavirus fears

united.com