1,000 extra flights added for Lunar New Year travel rush

January 21 will be the busiest day, with 380 flights arriving and departing HK

Taipei, Bangkok and Shanghai are proving to be the most popular Lunar New Year destinations for Hong Kong travellers, with more than 1,000 extra flights being added during the peak period.

A Civil Aviation Department spokeswoman said yesterday that airlines had applied for 1,050 extra flights from January 17 to February 2. 'The busiest day will be on January 21 [Lunar New Year's Eve] when an estimated 380 flights will arrive and depart,' she said.

The spokeswoman said that with the extra flights, there would be an increase in services of about 25 per cent compared to a normal day at Chek Lap Kok.

Of the extra flights, 44 per cent will be to the mainland while others will go to Southeast Asia (28 per cent) and Northeast Asia (27 per cent), with the rest going to the Middle East and India. The most popular destinations were Taipei, Bangkok and Shanghai, she said.

Cathay Pacific chief operating officer Philip Chen Nan-lok said the airline was expecting a 10 per cent increase in traffic over the holiday period, mostly from Hong Kong travellers. Bookings so far were quite good. 'We're laying on an extra 70 flights over the period from Chek Lap Kok,' he said.