China coronavirus: about 240 flights a week between Hong Kong and mainland to be cut under new measures to fight outbreak

Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Dragon and Hong Kong Express will gradually reduce their scheduled passenger flights

Government has also floated controversial idea to stop mainland passengers from transiting through Hong Kong International Airport, sources say

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Masked passengers at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: AP

Published: 4:14pm, 28 Jan 2020Updated: 11:29pm, 28 Jan 2020

About 240 flights a week between Hong Kong and mainland China will be cut by local airlines under sweeping government measures to reduce cross-border transport links to tackle the deadly Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

Local carriers Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines, already suffering because of the ongoing anti-government protests, would be forced to cut flights to the mainland by half, dealing a huge financial blow.

The flight cuts, confirming a story by the Post, were among seven measures Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced on Tuesday, as officials grappled with the rising threat to public health from the new coronavirus, which has killed more than 100 people on the mainland.

Analysts said the cuts would hurt local airlines but if the restrictions kept the pneumonia-causing virus at bay, it would bolster people’s confidence to travel through the city again.

From January 30, four local airlines – Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Dragon and Hong Kong Express – would gradually reduce their scheduled passenger flights between Hong Kong and 24 mainland destinations from about 480 flights weekly to about 240 flights until further notice, the government said in a statement.

The airlines would announce details of the arrangements on their websites and assist affected passengers in rebooking, cancelling and re-routing their tickets, it said. All flights between Hong Kong and Hubei province, centre of the outbreak, have been suspended since January 24.

Industry sources said flights with the lowest demand would be cancelled. However, some flights to major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai would also be consolidated.