At 4.00 pm [local time] yesterday, (6.00pm AEST on Monday 12 August), Hong Kong International Airport suspended all flights as thousands of protesters surged into the airport’s public arrivals halls. While flights already in the air and due to arrive at Hong Kong Airport would be given permission to land, the airport issued a statement saying:
“Airport operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted as a result of the public assembly at the airport today. Other than the departure flights that have completed the check-in process and the arrival flights that are already heading to Hong Kong, all other flights have been canceled for the rest of today.”
Amid the weeks of protests and unrest in Hong Kong, media reports yesterday said Cathay Pacific employees who have taken part in the protests may be asked to stand down. An email to airline staff from its chief executive officer, Rupert Hogg, on Monday, said, in part, “Cathay Pacific Group has a zero tolerance approach to illegal activities. Specifically, in the current context, there will be disciplinary consequences for employees who support or participate in illegal protests.”
