Japan has restricted the number of flights to Hong Kong, causing airlines to cut flights in the first half of February.
The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Lam Sai-hung, said this morning (21st) that the airlines of Hong Kong and Japan have close ties and hope that the other party will cancel the restrictions on flights from Hong Kong; and the Japanese authorities have a preliminary understanding that the relevant restrictions will be lifted next month and they will strive to increase flights quantity.
He predicted that the Easter holiday would be the peak period for Hong Kong people to travel abroad, and he hoped that the Japanese side would notify them as soon as possible so that the industry could make arrangements.
In addition, Xiangxiang and the mainland have been exempted from customs clearance for two weeks. Regarding cross-border students, Lin Shixiong pointed out that the Transportation and Logistics Bureau has been in close contact with the Education Bureau and will assist the resumption of cross-border school buses, including local and mainland units. Licenses, vehicle inspections, etc., in order to resume operations as soon as possible to facilitate cross-boundary students to come to Hong Kong.
▼On December 28, citizens who are going to Japan's non-four restricted airports will depart as usual before the entry into force▼
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If Japan does not withdraw flight restrictions, it will consider countermeasures
Lin Shixiong said that the passenger traffic of international flights is currently about 35% to 40% of that before the epidemic. He hopes to restore the capacity as soon as possible, but due to the shortage of manpower, the authorities will provide assistance to the industry.
Hong Kong and Japan have close aviation ties. The authorities will continue to negotiate with Japan, hoping that the other party will cancel the restrictions on flights from Hong Kong. According to the preliminary understanding with the Japanese authorities, the relevant restrictions will be lifted next month, and they will try to increase the number of flights. At the same time, they will also consider Whether to take countermeasures if the limit is not withdrawn.
He predicts that the Easter holiday will be the peak period for Hong Kong people to travel abroad, and he hopes that the Japanese side will notify as soon as possible so that the industry can make arrangements.
Lin Shixiong pointed out that "special affairs and special affairs" will be used to assist the resumption of cross-border school buses.
(Photo by Zhang Haowei/File photo)
Details of Cathay Pacific’s cancellation of flights to Japan are as follows:
(Photo source: screenshot of Cathay Pacific official website)
In terms of air transport to the mainland, Lin Shixiong pointed out that there were about 30 flights between Hong Kong and the mainland in the past two days. Since the customs clearance is only about two weeks, it is difficult to return to the previous level in a short period of time. It also needs to be discussed with airlines and mainland airports.
▼On January 20, a large number of passengers waited at the Lok Ma Chau Port to pass the border and go north▼
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Multiple port quotas not exhausted
Lam Shi-hung attended a radio program this morning and pointed out that the customs clearance quotas have increased recently, but the quotas at many ports have not been exhausted, and the mainland residents and Hong Kong people who go northward are not subject to quota restrictions when they return to Hong Kong from the mainland.
He said that the East Rail Line and cross-border buses can still handle the flow of people crossing the border. He noticed that the flow of people going north is concentrated from morning to noon, and the flow of people going south is concentrated from noon to dusk. The relevant travel patterns are within expectations and will be adjusted after the New Year. The situation is adjusted.
He continued to point out that after the East Rail Line was converted to 9 trucks, the number of trains per day increased to 135 pairs. The peak hours for Hong Kong people to go to work and school may not overlap with the arrival time of customs clearance personnel. I believe that the current service of the East Rail Line can handle it. It will also pay close attention to whether there are changes in travel patterns before and after the epidemic.
Transport Department assists school bus resumption as soon as possible
In terms of cross-border students, some primary school students will come to Hong Kong by cross-border school buses. Lam Sai-hung pointed out that the Transport and Logistics Bureau has been in close contact with the Education Bureau and is assisting the resumption of school buses, including processing licenses and vehicle inspections by local and mainland units. We will work with the Transport Department to deal with their applications in a special way so that operations can be resumed as soon as possible to facilitate cross-boundary students to come to Hong Kong.
▼On January 17, the number of high-speed rail tickets increased to 14,000 to attract passengers to buy▼
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As for the high-speed rail service, Lin Shixiong also pointed out that the popularity is within expectations, and the number of tickets is sufficient. Even if there are still a small number of tickets for sale today or tomorrow (22nd, the first day of the new year), the authorities have done a lot of work before resuming operation. We will increase tickets again, hoping that various supporting facilities can be made more secure.
There are opinions that the high-speed train to Guangzhou East should not stop at Dongguan and Dongguan South in order to shorten the journey. He also suggested adding more trains to Guangzhou East Station and restarting long-distance line services. Lin Shixiong said that he will communicate and coordinate with the mainland to discuss train arrangements.
What is the latest arrangement of Cathay Pacific Japan flights?
Cathay Pacific recently announced the cancellation of some flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka from February 3 to 16, 2023. For details, please refer to the text.
Apart from Cathay Pacific, do other airlines have the latest arrangements?
A few days ago, HK Express also announced the cancellation of some flights to Japan and South Korea. For details, please click here.
Xu Shuchang: The local mixed immune barrier is strong and there is no need to set too many restrictions on positive and asymptomatic people. It is actually measured that it takes nearly an hour to pass the customs at Lok Ma Chau Port Worried about missing the flight back to Jilin, the flow of people at the Fengshu Street testing station has decreased, and the public is dissatisfied with waiting for four hours yesterday.
