Airlines seen as unlikely to benefit if Hong Kong cuts quarantine

Hong Kong’s government is considering shortening the mandatory on-arrival quarantine requirement from 21 days to seven days for those fully vaccinated, although the benefit to the city’s struggling airlines may be limited. “While the efforts of the Hong Kong government to lower the mandatory on-arrival quarantine period for fully vaccinated travelers from 21 days to seven days will be welcomed by many airlines and travellers, there would not be a drastic increase in demand for air travel even with the shortened period,” says Eric Tamang, a Hong Kong-based valuations analyst at Ascend by Cirium. “Quarantine adds extra cost and time for travellers, hindering them from travelling to and from another country.” Government adviser Ivan Hung Fan-ngai has proposed that travellers fully vaccinated against Covid-19 could, in addition to having their quarantine reduced to seven days when they arrive in Hong Kong, be allowed to serve their quarantine at home rather than in a hotel. Currently, travellers arriving in Hong Kong must serve quarantine in hotels at their own expense for between 14 and 21 days. In addition, non-Hong Kong residents who have visited places other than mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand or Singapore within 14 days of arrival will be denied entry to the city.<br/>