Hong Kong International Airport was in recovery mode on Tuesday morning as airlines worked to send passengers to their destinations after a crippling citywide strike forced hundreds of flight cancellations. Hong Kong’s local airlines cancelled some 250 of 1,000 passenger flights on Monday after air traffic controllers, flight attendants, pilots and ground crew called in sick en masse in support of the anti-government strike. Congestion was widely expected at the global transport hub, which handles an average of 200,00 travellers each day, after dozens of flights were rescheduled for Tuesday. Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, which handle about 100,000 passengers a day, had to cancel 140 flights during the strike. The Cathay group, which also owns budget carrier HK Express, advised customers against going to the airport unless their flight had been confirmed and to arrive three or four hours early because of overburdened security checkpoints. Twelve departing flights and 37 arrivals were cancelled on Tuesday, and 19 flights. Hong Kong International Airport was scheduled to handle 511 departing flights on Tuesday and a similar number of arrivals – a nearly full schedule. Nineteen of Monday’s cancelled flights were rescheduled for Tuesday. Cathay Pacific and Dragon had cancelled 15 flights to and from Hong Kong as of 8am, with HK Express delaying seven flights. Hong Kong Airlines also cancelled seven flights. On Monday, some passengers of cancelled flights spent at least an hour at the ticketing desks of Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines and other carriers as they tried to fly out the same day.<br/>
general
Heathrow passengers last night demanded compensation for needlessly rearranged plans as unions again called off strike action at the last minute. Holidaymakers complained that they had paid out for new flights and hotels after being told that their flights would likely be cancelled. But only hours before the latest walkout was due to start, the Unite union announced a new pay deal had been struck between workers and airport bosses. Thousands of holidaymakers who had already arranged new journeys were then told that their original flights would in fact depart as planned. However the Civil Aviation Authority said it was unlikely that they would be entitled to any compensation. The chaos comes during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, with thousands of families jetting off for their summer holidays. Unite had already called off a planned walkout yesterday so that talks could continue. However there was still widespread disruption with 37 of the day's departures and arrivals cancelled, representing around 3% of all flights. British Airways warned passengers of a "significantly reduced catering offering" on some flights and advised them to bring their own food. Last night passengers were complaining that they were still in the dark over whether their flights would take off as planned. Others demanded compensation after needlessly spending hundreds of pounds on alternative flights and hotels.<br/>
Bidders that lost the contract to run Bulgaria’s Sofia International Airport have appealed the decision to award the deal to SOF Connect. At the end of July, the Bulgarian government awarded the 35-year concession to run and develop Sofia airport, including adding a third terminal, to SOF Connect, the consortium led by Munich Airport International (MAI), a subsidiary of Munich Airport Flughafen München GmbH (FMG) and supported by French asset management company Meridiam. The consortium offered a concession fee of E24.5m per year and pledged to make investments of E608m in airport development. Bulgaria’s competition watchdog, the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC), said Aug. 1 it has received four complaints, and preliminary checks are taking place to see if they meet the necessary criteria to begin an investigation. If an investigation is opened, once it is completed, the case will be submitted for a hearing and the watchdog will make a decision within two months of the start of proceedings. <br/>