Oneworld alliance carrier British Airways is suspending services to the Chinese capital from the beginning of the winter season.
The airline says the decision, which takes effect from 26 October, affects flights through to November 2025.
British Airways is unable to use Russian airspace, which would offer the shortest flightpath from London Heathrow to Beijing Daxing.
Its Beijing service instead typically operates via the Black Sea, Central Asia and Kazakhstan – a route which takes around 1h longer.
Competing operators Air China and China Southern Airlines are able to use Russian airspace to reduce the London-Beijing flight duration, giving them an advantage over the UK flag-carrier.
Air China is a Star Alliance member while China Southern, formerly of SkyTeam, has formed closer ties with Oneworld operators and has a joint-business arrangement with BA through which passengers can book codeshared flights with either airline.
BA says it is “pausing” the Beijing route and will contact affected customers to offer rebooking options or refunds.
It adds that it will continue operating daily services to Shanghai and Hong Kong. The airline is to keep its schedule under review.
