US pilots demand halt to flights to China amid coronavirus outbreak

US pilots and flight attendants are demanding airlines stop flights to China as health officials declare a global emergency over the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing American Airlines pilots, filed a lawsuit in Texas seeking an immediate halt to US-China service, citing "serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by the coronavirus."

American Airlines is continuing some flights from Dallas despite announcing cancellations from Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai.

Pilots at United Airlines, the largest US airline to China, are allowed to drop their trips without pay.

United announced further flight cancellations between February and March 28, but will continue round trip flights from San Francisco to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

The US has advised its citizens not to travel to China, raising its warning to the same level as those for Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is possible the White House could opt to take further action to bar flights to China in coming days.

A growing number of international airlines, including Air France KLM SA, British Airways, Germany's Lufthansa, and Virgin Atlantic, have also stopped their flights to mainland China.