Startup carrier unfazed by Hong Kong aviation 'lockdown'

Hong Kong International Airport, previously one of the busiest in the world, is eerily quiet these days as government flight bans and quarantine restrictions have choked off most passenger services. Yet local startup carrier Greater Bay Airlines is pushing ahead with plans to launch passenger flights as soon as summer and is further building up its fleet and workforce. This week, the airline reached what CE Algernon Yau called a "key milestone" -- winning a five-year license from Hong Kong to operate scheduled flights on up to 104 routes. "Honestly, we hope we can start with the mainland first ... Beijing and Shanghai together," Yau said. Other target routes he cited include Taiwan, Japan and South Korea and Southeast Asia. Since Jan. 8, Hong Kong has banned inbound passenger arrivals from eight countries, covering leading flight markets including the U.S., the UK, the Philippines, India, Australia, France and Canada. Nepal was later added to the ban, which was extended this week to April 20. Many major carriers, such as Singapore Airlines, have had to suspend routes to the city for two weeks at a time as a penalty for carrying COVID-positive passengers. Other carriers, especially from Europe and the US, have halted services due to Hong Kong's onerous quarantine restrictions for flight crew. The government has also barred passengers from 150 countries from using Hong Kong airport for transit purposes. As a result, Hong Kong airport received just 183 passengers on Thursday, according to Immigration Department records. Before COVID, Hong Kong would typically see 500 passenger flights landing a day, many with hundreds on board.<br/>