HANOI, Jan 31 - Vietnam Airlines will suspend its flights to destinations in China from next week over coronavirus concerns, the company said on Friday.

Its flights between Vietnam and Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen will be suspended from Tuesday, Chengdu from Wednesday, and Macau from Thursday, the company said in a statement.

“All passengers, especially Vietnamese in China planning to fly back to Vietnam are advised to reschedule in advance of their flight’s suspension dates,” the statement said.

Vietnam Airlines will also suspend all flights between Hanoi and Hong Kong from Thursday, and cut its flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong to seven from ten per week, it said.

Jetstar Pacific Airlines, partly owned by Vietnam Airlines, will also suspend its flights to Hong Kong and Guangzhou from Thursday, according to the statement.

Budget carrier Vietjet said earlier on Friday it will suspend all flights to and from China from February 1.

Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, and Vietjet Air together operate 87 regular and charter flights to 54 destinations in China, averaging 401 services a week.

On Thursday, Vietnam said it would stop issuing visas for Chinese tourists after the Southeast Asian country detected three new cases of the virus.

The flu-like coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a seafood and animal market in Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, and was first identified earlier this month, has resulted in 259 deaths in China.

More than 11,700 people have been infected in China, and more than 130 cases reported in at least 25 other countries and territories, with Russia, Britain, Sweden, and Italy all reporting their first cases on Thursday or Friday.