BRITISH Airways has grounded flights serving mainland China until at least the end of next month due to the Government's coronavirus travel advice.

The airline announced that it has extended the cancellation of flights connecting Heathrow with Beijing and Shanghai up to and including February 29.

BA normally operates daily flights from Heathrow to the two cities but these have been suspended since the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its advice on Tuesday to warn against "all but essential travel" to mainland China.

Flights to and from Hong Kong are unaffected.

A spokesman for the carrier said: "We are contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including re-booking on to other carriers where possible, full refunds, or booking with BA for a later date of travel.

"Customers can also find the latest information and options on BA.com.

"Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we will keep the situation under review."

Virgin Atlantic is operating its flights between Heathrow and Shanghai as normal, saying it will "continue to monitor the situation".

Several Chinese carriers are also running their usual schedule of UK flights.

An airline industry source told the PA news agency that the FCO's travel advice is a recommendation rather than a ban, and carriers are making individual assessments on whether to continue flights.