Hong Kong airport to extend transit services for mainland Chinese travellers until further notice
- The services for mainlanders, which began on August 15 after suspension due to pandemic, was about to expire on Thursday
- The move will benefit airlines such as Cathay Pacific Airways
Hong Kong will continue to embrace travellers from mainland China transiting to other countries through the city’s airport, amid cancellations of international flights due to Covid-19.
But the Airport Authority announced on its website on Wednesday evening that the policy would be extended until further notice, even though transit services to destinations on the mainland would remain unavailable.
The transit extension would be welcome for airlines such as Cathay Pacific Airways, as it would not have to close another avenue of business that has offered some help in the face of punishing restrictions in Hong Kong with the border shut to non-residents and 14 days’ quarantine-on-arrival requirements for everyone, virtually discouraging travel.
Cathay Pacific, which has no domestic air travel network to rely on, currently operates a tenth of its schedule.
Airline insiders briefed by the authority said transfers into China remained off limits over fears of being accountable for virus importations.
The decision keeps a key gateway open for travel outside China as Covid-19 has decimated international air routes and mainland authorities have sought to limit flights beyond its borders to as little as once a week.