Hong Kong will let airlines keep airport slots despite cutting flight capacity
Airlines which have cur capacity at Hong Kong Airport will be allowed to keep their prized airport slots.
The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department said it will ease the strict ‘use it or lose it’ policy for airlines as travel demand has plummeted after six months of civil unrest.
Numerous airlines have suspended routes and cut capacity but they will be allowed to keep hold of their slots.
Under normal circumstances an airline could lose its slot if it cannot make use of it at least 80% of the time in the previous flight scheduling season.
The Civil Aviation Department will waive this until the end of the current winter low season which ends in late March 2020.
Slots at HKIA are highly prized due to its capacity constraints.
That will ease from 2024 when a new runway is expected to open.
It will give airlines greater flexibility and affords then the opportunity to quickly ramp up services if and when demand picks up again.
It is something of a compromise as airlines had pleaded with the Hong Kong government to give them rebates on airport charges and fees due to the downturn.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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