UPDATE - Turkish Airlines temporarily halts Nakhchivan flights

UPDATE WITH MORE QUOTES FROM CHAIRMAN

By Izzet Taskiran, Guc Gonel and Kubra Kara

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Airlines has temporarily suspended flights to Azerbaijan’s autonomous Nakhchivan region, the company's chairman said Thursday.

Turkey’s national flag carrier continues flying to the Azerbaijani capital Baku and Ganja, the country's second-largest city, Ilker Ayci added.

The airline disinfected more than 250 aircraft as part of measures to fight coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, he said.

"These procedures are being carried out with extra care in places with high-risk groups, such as Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and Italy," Ayci explained.

In the wake of a dozen deaths from coronavirus in neighboring Iran, service there has been suspended, along with flights to China, where the outbreak began.

In China, the death toll from the outbreak has reached 2,746, with over 78,497 confirmed cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.

Ayci said the airline is taking appropriate precautions in areas of the world facing higher risks.

"In this context we cut some of our flights from Seoul today," he added.

He underlined that the airline is closely watching developments in Italy – the European country hardest hit – where the number of coronavirus cases has surged to 400.

"If necessary, we could initially reduce flights to Rome and Milan, and later on we could suspend them. This is also a possibility," he stressed.