Shanghai, Asian weekend destinations set for greatest cuts as new air traffic control system implemented at Hong Kong airport
A total of 2,520 flights will be cut for a month from October 30 to ensure smooth phasing in of costly and delayed system
Flights to mainland China’s financial centre and popular weekend destinations face the brunt of cuts as thousands of flights are halted to upgrade Hong Kong’s air traffic control system.
Mainland destinations Shanghai, Tianjin, Sanya, Ningbo and Hangzhou will see flights scaled back, as will regional destinations Bangkok, Taipei, Singapore, Osaka, Seoul, Tokyo and Bali.
Long-haul routes affected include Auckland, Sydney, Vancouver, New York, Dubai and Los Angeles.
While passenger flights are being cut by an average 8 per cent a day, routes such as Shanghai and Bangkok face bigger cuts – 17 per cent and 10 per cent respectively on a daily seat basis.
The Post analysed the reduction in schedules, using data from ExpertFlyer.com. It selected a Sunday, November 6, during the affected period, and the same day one month later – December 4 – to compare planned flights. The results showed a reduction in flights of around 8 per cent, with destinations popular with Hongkongers heavily affected.