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Coronavirus pandemic
Hong KongHong Kong Economy

Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s quarantine rules for aircrew set to relax with new policy for vaccinated personnel, sources say

  • The changes are expected to benefit cargo flights first, which could de-escalate a row with FedEx and the US government over the quarantine rules
  • The rule changes come amid a raft of planned benefits for individuals and industries tied to coronavirus vaccinations

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Hong Kong is expected to relax its quarantine rules for vaccinated flight staff, sources say. Photo: Nora Tam
Danny Lee
Hong Kong’s quarantine rules for airline crews will be relaxed in stages, with the government set to roll out a new travel policy this week for fully vaccinated flight staff, the Post has learned.
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The changes are expected to benefit cargo flights first, which carries the added benefit of de-escalating a row that pitted Hong Kong authorities against FedEx and the US government over the city’s mandatory 14-day quarantine for aircrews – a policy American officials argued benefited Cathay Pacific Airways at the expense of US-based carriers.
The rule changes come amid a raft of planned benefits for individuals and industries tied to coronavirus vaccinations. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the incentives on Monday, hailing them as a road map for bringing the city back to normalcy after the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Airlines are waiting to hear full details of the policy adjustment from the Transport and Housing Bureau, three sources said, but any changes would be considered a major improvement on the 14-day quarantine that locally based aircrews were hit with on February 20.

While passenger flights, in general, are not being considered for near-term quarantine exemptions, the changes would nonetheless be a boon to Hong Kong, the world’s busiest air cargo hub.

The Post revealed two weeks ago that the government was willing to remove quarantine requirements for locally based flight staff if vaccination rates within the aviation industry reached a satisfactorily high threshold.
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Both Cathay Pacific and FedEx have suffered heavily due to the quarantine policy.

Hong Kong’s loss-making flag carrier was forced to cut its already-skeletal passenger schedules by almost two-thirds and cargo operations by a quarter. The health rules also increased its cash burn by more than a quarter to up to HK$1.9 billion (US$244.4 million) a month. Cathay lost HK$21.6 billion in total last year.

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