|
Some of Asia’s biggest global hubs are once again opening to transit passengers. It was recently announced that Singapore Changi would reopen to transit passengers as of June 2, and it has now been revealed that Hong Kong will reopen to transit passengers as of June 1. Hong Kong Airport banned transit passengers since March 25, 2020. This means that the only people who have been able to fly through Hong Kong Airport have been those either originating or terminating there, which comes with major restrictions in terms of the entry requirements. Only Hong Kong residents and a very limited number of other passengers have been able to travel to Hong Kong. As you’d expect, this has caused huge drops in passenger numbers. For example, looking at traffic in April 2020 for Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon: * The airlines saw a 99.6% drop in passenger numbers * The airlines carried a total of 13,729 passengers (fewer than 500 per day), with an average load factor of 21.7% * The airlines operated a skeleton schedule to just 14 destinations As of May 28, 2020, Hong Kong night clubs, bath houses, karaoke parlors, and party rooms will be reopened. Then as of June 1, 2020, Hong Kong Airport will gradually reopen to transit passengers, which is welcome news for airlines like Cathay Pacific, which have seen 99%+ drops in passenger numbers. This should improve Cathay Pacific’s situation somewhat, but it’ll be quite a while before things return to normal. |
