China's civil aviation regulator announced Sunday that regular passenger flights between China and the UK shall remain suspended even beyond the originally announced date of January 10, to cope with the possible impacts of the coronavirus variant that first appeared in the UK.

The decision has been made based on the requirements of the State Council's joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 as well as relevant laws and regulations, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

On December 27, 2020, the CAAC announced that regular passenger flights between China and the UK would be suspended from December 28, 2020 to January 10, 2021, requiring domestic and foreign airlines to facilitate ticket refunds and flight changes.