China grounds almost 20% of domestic flights over coronavirus

More than 1,900 flights canceled as disruption ripples to Beijing and Shanghai

Members of the Thai Airways crew disinfect the cabin of an aircraft in a procedure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. © Reuters

YUSHO CHO, KAZUHIRO KIDA and MASAYUKI KUBOTA, Nikkei staff writers

January 30, 2020 03:19 JST

SHANGHAI/TOKYO -- Nearly 20% of China's domestic flights are being canceled as disruptions from the new coronavirus outbreak spread beyond its epicenter into major transportation hubs like Beijing and Shanghai.

A total of 1,878 and 43 international flights were canceled in China on Tuesday, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24 -- up 760 and 7, respectively, from the day before.