New COVID19 Preventive Measures as HKIA Resumes Transit Services

In tandem with the gradual resumption of transfer/transit services at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), all passengers, including departing, arriving and transfer/transit passengers, as well as airport staff, are required to wear face masks in all passenger accessible areas of HKIA’s restricted area from today and until further notice.

Other COVID19 preventive measures include:

- All transfer/transit and arriving passengers must undergo body temperature screening upon arrival.

- Transfer/transit passengers are requested to go directly to the boarding gates for their connecting flights immediately.

- Transfer/transit passengers are given stickers at transfer points for identification purpose.

- Passengers are reminded to keep a safe physical distance of at least 1.5m from each other when standing in queues.

- Alcohol-based hand rub dispensers and sanitising floor mats are available at each arrival gate and throughout the entire terminal.

- Cleaning and disinfection of the boarding gate area and airbridge are carried out after each arriving flight.

- Protective screens are installed at service counters, including airline check-in counters and Customer Services Centres.

- Designated dining areas are set up for transfer/transit passengers.

Measures for airport staff include temperature check upon entering the terminal. Frontline staff members are provided with personal protective equipment, and disinfection supplies including alcohol-based hand rub.

COVID19 tests are provided by the Department of Health for airport staff, and disinfection channels are available for use by frontline staff.

Airlines are asked to implement pre-flight and in-flight safety measures, including basic health assessment, checking passengers’ body temperature before boarding at origin destinations, requiring passengers to wear face masks in-flight, providing sanitisers, among others.

Vivian Cheung, Executive Director, Airport Operations of the Hong Kong Airport Authority, said, “On the basis of protecting health and safety of passengers and airport staff as our top priority, it is of paramount importance for HKIA as a major international aviation hub to resume transfer/transit services. We have been working closely with the Government, airlines and our business partners to put in place a set of comprehensive measures to ensure a smooth resumption of transfer/transit services and a safe end-to-end journey for passengers.”

From today, only transit/transfer passengers who have been checked through at the origin port and take transit/transfer flights operated by the same airline group, such as Cathay Pacific / Cathay Dragon, are accepted at HKIA.

Passengers travelling with Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon will be able to transit Hong Kong if their itinerary is contained in a single booking and the connection time to their next Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon operated flight is within 8 hours.

Subject to both requirements being met, from today, 1 June 2020, transit connections will be available between Hong Kong and the destinations that the two airlines operate flights to.

In this first phase, transiting to and from destinations in mainland China is not available.

All sea-to-air ferry services (Greater Bay Area to Hong Kong) and air-to-sea ferry services (Hong Kong to Greater Bay Area) are also suspended.

See latest Travel News, Video Interviews, Podcasts and other news regarding: COVID19, HKIA, Hong Kong.