A sit-in began in the arrivals hall of Hong Kong airport at 1pm (7am in Paris), organised by demonstrators opposed to the government of the former British slave state. The non-violent demonstration, was the distribution of leaflets and posters explaining the reasons for the movement and the importance of international support. A situation that has spread to departure loungeThis forced the airport authorities to adopt a number of measures. These included closing part of the departure hall to non-passengers and increasing the number of security zones guarded by security guards.
According to an official statement from the airport authorities of Hong Kong, only departing passengers with airline tickets or boarding passes for flights scheduled within the next 24 hours, and in possession of a valid travel document, will be allowed access to the check-in desks in terminal 1 from 6am to 11:59pm, from 9 to 11 August.
As each passenger is strictly controlled, the system is causing long queues for passengers who need to check in. According to the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's leading daily newspaper, the airport is expecting several thousand protesters to turn up. until Sunday. For the moment, according to information from Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's national airline, the demonstrations are not resulting in flight delays. Passengers are, however, being asked to check in at least four hours in advance.
Cathay Pacific acknowledged on Thursday that the protests were beginning to seriously affect its business. " The protests in Hong Kong reduced our passenger traffic in July and had a negative impact on our business. a negative impact on longer-term bookings", said Martin Murray, the company's CFO (Chief Financial Officer) during a presentation of the first-half 2019 results.
Travel alerts inviting you to extreme caution for travel to Hong Kong have been issued in the last 48 hours by Australia, the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan and Singapore. Visit French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website stated on 9 August that " the demonstrations that have been taking place in Hong Kong since June [...] can now give rise to violent confrontations throughout the country, particularly in the Admiralty area, where the Consulate General is based, but also in tourist areas and shopping centres. Road blockages and public transport disruptions are likely to occur at any time without notice and may lead to temporary service suspensions, including on the metro line serving the airport (Airport Express). We therefore recommend that you keep yourself regularly informed of the situation (RTHK, South China Morning Post or Hong Kong Free Press), follow the safety instructions issued by the local authorities (香港警察 Hong Kong Police or the website https://www.police.gov.hk) and to stay away from all gatherings. "
Information verified on 9/08 at 2pm (French time).
