The pilots association for American Airlines reportedly filed a lawsuit in Texas, asking a judge to compel the carrier to halt all flights to China because of the coronavirus crisis there.
The Los Angeles Times reported the Allied Pilots Association, which represents the 15,000 pilots of the world's largest air carrier, asked a district court judge Thursday to approve an injunction to stop further flights until more information is known about the outbreak.
The move came the same day the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency.
The lawsuit accuses American Airlines of "negligently and intentionally exposing its members to the coronavirus, a potentially fatal, communicable disease through its continued operation of flights to and from China," the Times reported.
American Airlines announced Wednesday it was suspending daily flights between Los Angeles International Airport and Shanghai Pudong Airport as well as LAX and Beijing Capital International Airport from Feb. 9 to March 27.
But in addition to those flights, American Airlines operates daily round-trip routes between LAX and Hong Kong, as well as daily round-trip routes between Dallas/Fort Worth and Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
"We are in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and global public health officials to make sure we are taking all necessary precautions for our customers and team members," the airline wrote in a statement to the Times.
The union representing the flight attendants on American Airlines issued a statement Thursday supporting the lawsuit, the news outlet reported.
"Our safety is not for sale," said Lori Bassani, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. "We stand with our pilots."
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