Updated Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 11:15 a.m. Eastern
Flights resumed out of Hong Kong International Airport today.
Updated Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 12 p.m. Eastern
Hong Kong International Airport has closed check-in on Tuesday as protests continue.
Posted Monday Aug. 12 at 3:20 p.m. Eastern
The aviation industry is seeing an increasing impact from protests in Hong Kong. The airport largely shut down on Monday, and Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific faces pressure from China to clamp down on employees who participate in protests.
Due to protests at the airport, all departing flights at Hong Kong International Airport were canceled on Monday through Tuesday morning. A small number of flights were still operating for connecting passengers, but immigration counters at the airport were closed, so no passengers leaving from Hong Kong could get on those flights, according to Cathay Pacific.
The impact could stretch beyond Tuesday, as United already is offering waivers on changes for flights through Thursday.
Cathay Pacific already had experienced a general strike this month and is yielding to threats from Mainland China. In a memo to employees that Cathay Pacific provided to BTN, CEO Rupert Hogg said Cathay would comply with Civil Aviation Administration of China demands to suspend employees who "support or take part in illegal protests, violent actions or overtly radical behavior" from any airline activities related to Mainland China and to submit to the CAAC for approval the identification of all crews flying to Mainland China or through its airspace.
A pilot already has been suspended related to his participation in a protest, according to Bloomberg.
"We are … legally required to follow CAAC regulations and, as is the case with any notices issued by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction over us, we must and will comply," Hogg said in the memo. "This means that in order for our employees to perform their duties, they would need to satisfy the requirements as set out in the notice above."
Cathay Pacific is particularly vulnerable, as flights to China make up a significant portion of its revenue and losing access to Chinese airspace would block its routes to the U.S. and Europe. In addition, some state-run companies in China, including China Huarong International Holdings and China Resources National Corp., have instructed employees not to fly on Cathay Pacific or its low-cost carrier, Cathay Dragon, Bloomberg reported.
Protests have been going on in Hong Kong for several months, stemming from a bill that gave Mainland China the power to extradite people accused of crimes. The bill since has been shelved.