Travelers are currently preparing to leave Hong Kong airport to ask about canceled flights to Riyadh, Doha, and Qatar from the previous day.
At least 35 flights departing from Hong Kong to the Middle East, which were initially planned for Sunday and Monday, have been affected due to the combined US-Israeli strike on Iran, and more cancellations and delays are expected.
Sunday morning also witnessed hundreds of travelers gatheringHong Kong International Airportto ask about the delayed flight departures that were originally planned for the day before.
The flights mainly went to Riyadh, located in Saudi Arabia, Doha, found in Qatar, and Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airwayswas one of the airlines that halted all passenger and freight flights to and from the Middle East on Saturday, after airspace closures resulted from the air strikes.
Luo Kui, a 45-year-old software architect from Shanghai, spent the night in Hong Kong following the cancellation of his Cathay Pacific flight to Dubai, which was set for 5pm on Saturday.
On Sunday morning, the airline presented him with two choices: he could either maintain his connecting flight to Dubai—currently scheduled for Wednesday—but cover the cost of his lodging until the flight departs, or alter his ticket and go back to Shanghai.
“This isn’t just,” Luo, who has been based in Abu Dhabi for two years, said to the South China Morning Post.
A journey from Shanghai to Hong Kong lasts just a few hours – roughly one-third the duration of the flight from Hong Kong to Dubai. In a just scenario, the airline should provide a partial refund.
He mentioned that he decided to go back to Shanghai on Sunday afternoon.
Who knows how long I might have to remain in Hong Kong until the war concludes,” Luo stated. “Why not return home first and assess when the situation becomes stable… I would at least have greater control over my losses.
Iran announced on Sunday the passing of its supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in U.S.-Israeli air strikes.
With overnight retaliatory strikes by Iran affecting Gulf states, four individuals were hurt at a terminal in Dubai International Airport.
A review of the Hong Kong airport’s website on Sunday night by SCMP revealed that flights to Dubai experienced the highest disruption: four passenger flights and 10 cargo flights were canceled, with three cargo flights experiencing delays.
The bombing incidents resulted in the cancellation of two passenger flights and three cargo flights bound for Doha. According to the website, a cargo flight to Abu Dhabi and two flights heading to Riyadh were also called off on Sunday.
The Hong Kong Airport Authority reported that 12 flights connecting the city with the Middle East were canceled on Sunday, and another eight flights planned for Monday were also removed.
The Immigration Department also received a minimum of 194 queries from residents who were stuck in the Middle East as of 5pm on Sunday.
The Hong Kong Travel Industry Council stated that Dubai and Doha serve as key transit points for flights between Europe and other destinations, meaning a temporary closure of airspace in the Middle East would significantly affect these routes.
Nevertheless, the council mentioned that fewer than 10 tours planned to leave or arrive in Hong Kong on Sunday and Monday would be impacted.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, the executive director of EGL Tours, mentioned that a group of 21 individuals became stuck in Morocco when their flight to Hong Kong was called off on Saturday evening. Measures were taken to accommodate them at a hotel until air travel could resume.
Other plans were also canceled for a group of 26 travelers who were set to depart Hong Kong for Morocco.
Huen mentioned that a tour group in Dubai could not return to Hong Kong and was waiting for more details on Saturday evening.
“The circumstances remain unclear. We are continuing to monitor [developments],” he stated.
Airline companies around the world have had to cancel some flights or avoid certain areas in the Middle East because of continuous safety issues.
Real-time information from the aviation analysis company Cirium indicated that 716 flights, out of a total of 4,329 planned to operate to the Middle East, were canceled.
A flight tracking site called FlightAware indicated that over 19,000 flights were delayed worldwide and more than 2,600 were canceled as of 10:30 am Hong Kong time on Sunday.
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This piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
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