Jetstar Asia is suspending its Singapore-Hong Kong flights due to falling demand.

The budget airline said on Jan. 29 that the suspension is not related to the Wuhan virus outbreak.

The Jetstar media release said: “This decision was made in response to ongoing falling demand and the need to ensure we maintain the highest productivity of our fleet.”

“The aircraft will be redeployed to growth markets where there is strong demand such as Yangon, Clark, Manila and Osaka.”

The city of Hong Kong has seen wave after wave of anti-government protests over the past seven months that has been a dampener on the tourism industry.

The last Singapore-Hong Kong flight will operate on March 28.

There are currently no plans to resume flights to Hong Kong, the spokesperson added.

There are at least eight confirmed Wuhan virus cases in Hong Kong.

Other Chinese destinations affected

Jetstar also announced that it will be suspending flights to Hefei, Guiyang and Xuzhou until March 31, when the decision will be "reviewed again".

The last flights to these cities will be on Jan. 30.

This suspension is the result of a drop in demand to mainland China, Jetstar Asia said.

Chinese authorities have banned outbound group tours to try and limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Jetstar does not fly directly to Wuhan or any of the cities that are currently in lockdown.

But it will continue to fly to Shantou and Haikou, located further south in the Guangdong and Hainan provinces respectively.

Affected passengers will be contacted directly by SMS and/ or email and will be able to cancel their bookings and obtain a full refund or credit voucher.

Customers should contact either Jetstar.com or their travel agent, depending on how they purchased their ticket.