Covid 19 coronavirus: China joins list of countries to suspend UK flights

China is suspending flights to and from the UK. Photo / File

China will suspend flights to and from the UK, joining a growing list of countries who have instituted travel bans, in light of a new variant of the coronavirus, its Foreign Ministry has announced.

It did not offer details on when flights would stop. On Tuesday, the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in London said it will suspend its operation until further notice.

Non-Chinese passport holders from the UK were already banned from travelling to China in November, AP said.

China is suspending flights to and from the UK. Photo / File

Reuters reported foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin: "China will closely monitor relevant developments and dynamically adjust control measures depending on the situation."

Countries across the globe are shutting their borders to Britain after the emergence of a highly infectious new coronavirus strain.

There are currently eight weekly flights between mainland China and Britain, according to aviation data provider Variflight, including one each by Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines.

British Airways operates two flights a week from London to Shanghai, according to Reuters.