Hong Kong Bans Transit Passengers Through March 15, 2022

Hong Kong SAR on Thursday continued the flight ban from eight destinations for an additional month and added Nepal to the list (read more here).

It was unclear then that transiting passengers on all other markets than China and Taiwan would also be banned from transferring at Hong Kong International Airport starting at midnight on February 16 through March 15, 2022. Cathay Pacific will deny boarding all ineligible passengers.

You can access Cathay Pacific here.

Here’s an update from Cathay Pacific:

Important information for passengers in transit at Hong Kong International Airport

In response to the rising number of Omicron cases in Hong Kong and around the world, the Hong Kong Airport Authority has announced continued restrictions on the use of Hong Kong International Airport as a transit point.

From midnight on 16 February until 11.59pm on 15 March 2022, transfer and transit services at Hong Kong International Airport will continue to be limited to passengers coming from non high riskOpen a new window places.

Passengers on Cathay Pacific flights arriving from cities in the Chinese Mainland and Taiwan region may continue to connect to onward flights.

Passengers starting their journey with Cathay Pacific from any other destination will not be able to use Hong Kong as a transit point during this period.

We are contacting affected passengers via email with a range of options – including rebooking to a future date, obtaining a Cathay Credit or requesting a full refund.

Excerpt from Reuters:

Hong Kong reported 1,347 new daily COVID-19 infections on Sunday, down from the previous day’s record, but the spread, with 2,000 more suspected cases, threatens the city’s overstretched healthcare system, authorities said.

Hong Kong and mainland China are among the few places in the world still aiming to suppress every COVID-19 outbreak, but the Omicron variant has proven tough to control and the spread is piling pressure on a stretched healthcare system.

Hong Kong has recorded around 24,000 infections and more than 200 deaths, far lower than other similar major cities, although medical experts warn it could see 28,000 daily infections by the end of March, with the unvaccinated elderly a particular worry.

Conclusion

It is a challenging time for Cathay Pacific that used to shuffle passengers to/from Asia and Europe/North America, and the airline’s long-term survival is in doubt. It is practically impossible to suppress the new Covid-variants that are more transmissible, and the Chinese leadership must be aware of this.