Due to the current situation in the health situation in Wuhan, both AirAsia and Malindo have suspended all flights to the Chinese city with immediate effect. Those that have booked their flights to may request for a flight change or full refund with their respective airlines.
AirAsia
According to AirAsia, all flights from Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok and Phuket to Wuhan are temporarily cancelled until 28th January 2020. Affected guests that wish to make changes to their travel plans to/from Wuhan are able to request for a reroute to other mainland China destinations without additional cost subject to seat availability. This is only applicable for flights until 29th February 2020.
Alternatively, passengers can retain the value of the fare under their AirAsia BIG Loyalty account for future travel with AirAsia. The online credit must be redeemed for booking within 90 calendar days from the issuance date and the actual travel dates can be after the expiry date provided it is available on AirAsia’s flight schedule.
Lastly, passengers may also request for a full refund and this is applicable for flights until 15th February and return flights fro 16th to 29th February 2020. The requests can be made via AVA on AirAsia’s support page. If you’ve booked your tickets via an agent, you are advised to make the refund requests via the respective travel agent.
Malindo Air
For Malindo, they have suspended all flights to/from Wuhan with immediate effect. Affected passengers that have booked a flight ticket between 23 January to 8 February 2020 are urged to contact them at +603-78415388 or walk-in to their ticketing office for further assistance.
Wuhan Coronavirus
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China is currently being hit by a new coronavirus outbreak. According to CNN, the first case was reported in December and it has spread to more than 20 provinces in China this week. The virus has also spread to other countries such as Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the United States. As of yesterday, there have been 571 confirmed cases with 17 deaths reported worldwide.
So far officials have linked the outbreak to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and it suspects wild animals sold being the likely source of the virus. The authorities have closed down the market since 1st January for disinfection and they are still trying to find the animal source.
Authorities have placed Wuhan in lockdown as they try to contain the outbreak from spreading. All public transport including trains, buses and ferries have stopped at 10am today and local residents are told not to leave the city without “special reasons”. All flights departing from Wuhan are also suspended as well.
In case you’re wondering, Malaysia Airlines currently does not fly to Wuhan, China.
