Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)-based Cathay Pacific Airways says it plans to cancel some passenger flights in January due to ongoing restrictions. Despite already having some of the strictest travel rules globally, Hong Kong said yesterday that it was tightening restrictions on people arriving from what it deems to be high-risk nations.
People arriving in Hong Kong from high-risk nations must quarantine for four days in the islands Penny’s Bay Quarantine Center and then complete the rest of their 21 day quarantine period in a pre-booked government-approved hotel. Testing for COVID-19 is also mandatory on arrival and for the first seven days in Hong Kong. Arriving passengers must also test on days 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19. The new rules come into effect on December 24 and also include the need for arriving passengers to present a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours before travel instead of 72 hours.
Cathay Pacific has to cancel flights
In a statement from Cathay Pacific issued today talking about passenger flight cancellations, the Swire Pacific-owned airline said:
“The new consolidated schedule will result in several flight cancellations.”
When pressed by several news outlets to provide more information, Cathay Pacific refused to say what routes would be affected. A source from the travel industry, who was not authorized to speak publicly about Cathay Pacific, told newswire service Reuters that he believed the cancellations would be only Cathay Pacific long-haul flights to Australia, Europe, and North America.
According to an article in Executive Traveller citing Bloomberg News as its source, Cathay Pacific will cancel almost every flight between Hong Kong and Australia from January 1, 2022. Flights between Hong Kong International Airport and Sydney Airport (SYD) will go from two flights per day, as they are now, to two flights per week. Cathay Pacific will suspend flights between Hong Kong and Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. Flights between and Adelaide were already stopped and will remain so.
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Coronavirus rules hamper Cathay Pacific flight crews
Christmas and New Year are typically busy for Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong. However, this year, the country’s strict quarantine rules see Cathay Pacific drastically reducing its number of flights. On Monday, Cathay Pacific canceled all flights from New York until January 2 after three passengers arriving in Hong Kong from New York tested positive for COVID-19.
Cathay Pacific’s ability to maintain scheduled flights has also been hampered because its flight crews are forced to stay away from home for several weeks at a time.
Hong Kong’s rules are killing Cathay Pacific
When asked what he thought of the situation in Hong Kong and its impact on Cathay Pacific, the CEO of Qatar Airways, which owns a 10% share of Cathay Pacific Akbar Al Baker, said Hong Kong’s COVID-19 rules were “killing” the airline. Meanwhile, Chief Economist at the UK’s global travel data provider OAG, John Grant, says Hong Kong’s strict rules could destroy not only Cathay Pacific but the city’s position as a major Asian hub.
One of the main reasons Hong Kong is imposing tough rules is that it wants to be able to open its border with Mainland China.
What do you think about Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong’s tough rules? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.
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