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Coronavirus: Hong Kong airport plans to temporarily resume transit flights serving mainland China, source says
- Chinese students seeking mainland return or resumption of overseas studying stand to benefit, source says
- But the return of transfers for the mainland might only last a month
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Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) could temporarily resume transit flights from mainland China to help Chinese students caught in limbo during the coronavirus crisis, a source with knowledge of the plan has said.
The return of transfer flights might only last one month, the source added, but the move could ease the severe damage caused by Covid-19 for one of Asia’s biggest airport hubs and its largest airline Cathay Pacific Airways, which reported a HK$9.9 billion loss on Wednesday.
A source suggested the reopening was designed to serve students needing to fly out of China to resume their studies abroad. The restarting of services could also help more than just students.
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At the same time, with the health crisis not easing in countries such as the United States, and some universities switching to online classes in the autumn, students were also seeking a return to the mainland. But as of Wednesday afternoon, transits to the mainland were not allowed.
Flights back to China have been in short supply since its civil aviation authority restricted international journeys in and out of the country to combat the risk of imported Covid-19 cases, as the country recovered from the initial wave of the epidemic.
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China has slowly eased restrictions for some countries, including the United States, which had banned mainland flights after US airlines were not offered reciprocal access.
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