Hong Kong International Airport has resumed operations after being shut down for two days due to a series of protests that have been taking place in the destination.
The Airport Authority reports that it obtained an interim injunction to restrain the protestors from occupying the airport’s facilities. It has also implemented access control at terminal buildings; as a result, until further notice, only departure passengers with a valid air ticket or boarding pass for a flight in the next 24 hours and a valid travel document will be allowed to enter the terminal buildings.
“Passengers are reminded to arrive at the airport three hours before their departure time for the relevant checks,” the airport said in a statement on its website. “Other members of the public, including those who may want to accompany departure passengers or receiving arrival passengers at the airport should not travel to the airport unless absolutely necessary.”
United Airlines still has a travel waiver in effect for customers who had been scheduled to fly through Hong Kong through August 15, so long as they purchased their original ticket by August 11. Those customers can reschedule for travel through August 20 with no change fee or difference in fare so long as travel is rebooked in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the original city pair.
Protests have been taking place for 11 weeks in Hong Kong over a controversial extradition bill that has since been suspended, although they have since grown into a larger call for increased rights for Hong Kong’s residents and against the tactics police have used against the protestors. In addition to occupying the airport this week, early last week the protests also caused a series of flight cancellations and disruptions to the destination’s light rail service.
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