Chinese airlines begin reporting impact from Covid-19

A security personnel checks the temperature of passengers arriving at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai on Feb4, 2020. - AFP

BEIJING (China Daily/ANN): China’s three largest airlines reported declines in January passenger traffic because of the coronavirus outbreak, with the shortfalls likely to deepen this month as the epidemic continues to disrupt travel for millions of people.

Air China Ltd’s numbers slipped 2.9% from a year earlier, while China Southern Airlines Co’s fell 4.6% and China Eastern Airlines Corp.’s dropped 5.4%, according to statements filed to Hong Kong’s stock exchange late last week. Their totals ranged from 9.2 million to 11.4 million passengers.