Coronavirus: holiday plans in disarray as Hong Kong bans British Airways flights from London for two weeks
- Four passengers found to be infected with Covid-19 on arrival at Hong Kong airport while one person failed to comply with requirements
- Department of Health says BA flights from London will be prohibited until December 25
The British flag carrier, a popular choice with Hong Kong students studying abroad, was hit with the ban after four passengers were found to be infected with Covid-19 on arrival at the city’s airport, according to a government statement.
The punishment was triggered after the airline improperly checked one passenger’s documents in London, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The ban was understood to have caused havoc for many students booked to fly back to Hong Kong.
In a late-night statement, the Department of Health said four passengers who arrived on flight BA27 from London on Tuesday were confirmed to have Covid-19 while one person failed to comply with requirements.
The department said it “thus invoked the regulation to prohibit landing of passenger flights from London operated by BA in Hong Kong from December 12 to 25”.
In response, a British Airways spokeswoman said: “We are disappointed to have been instructed by the Hong Kong authorities to temporarily suspend our passenger flights from London to Hong Kong and are working closely with the authorities to resume these services.”