Hong Kong International Airport plays catch-up after anti-government strike cancels hundreds of flights

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/>