tirsdag 13. august 2019

Day after grounding all flights, anti-government protesters return to Hong Kong International Airport

Anti-government protesters have returned to Hong Kong airport, even as carriers strove to clear a backlog caused by a mass sit-in that led to an earlier shutdown. Hundreds of demonstrators dressed in black were gathering at the arrival hall on Tuesday afternoon in response to online calls to restart the protest.

More than 300 flights were cancelled on Tuesday at Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, leaving many passengers stranded. Some backroom staff at Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways were asked to leave work from lunchtime with company buses taking office workers home from 2pm. As of noon, the Airport Authority said there were fewer take-offs and landings at the airport as the statutory body worked with airlines to reschedule flights. It said the airport’s emergency centre had been activated in response to the threat of another public assembly.