Hong Kong has instituted a new set of strict protocols to stop the spread of the coronavirus via overseas travel. As part of enforcing those protocols, it has sharply restricted airline traffic in and out of its airport, according to Cirium, an air traffic data analytics site. 

The result has led to a massive drop in the number of travelers both to and from the city. Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong’s flagship airline, is expecting a 50 percent decrease in traffic through the airport in January. The airline has only scheduled 150 inbound flights for all of January, compared to a monthly average of 4,000 flights prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Cirium data. 

Hong Kong has followed China’s lead in containing the coronavirus, instituting stringent restrictions in an effort to maintain extremely low rates of the virus. In pursuing this approach, it is attempting to re-establish quarantine-free travel with mainland China, which has not required quarantines for its domestic flights but does require them for travel to and from Hong Kong and Macau, its “special autonomous regions” or SARs. 

As part of the restrictions, the government of Hong Kong has required travelers from overseas to quarantine for up to three weeks—a substantially longer time than most experts have recommended. Business leaders have expressed frustration with this mandate. As a commercial hub, Hong Kong is heavily reliant on business travel, and its economy has undergone significant difficulties during the coronavirus era. 

Earlier in the week, Cathay Pacific noted that increasing restrictions on its aircrews, including the suspension of all quarantine exemptions for airline personnel, had led to “significant” changes to its schedules. The airline indicated on Thursday that it had suspended cargo flights for a week in response to the new restrictions. 

British Airways has not operated flights in and out of Hong Kong since March in response to Hong Kong’s restrictions. 

Altogether, roughly 750 flights to Hong Kong from all overseas destinations have been scheduled for January. This number was down from nearly 800 in December, which was down from 11,000 immediately before the onset of the pandemic. 

The emergence of the Omicron variant has thrown air travel around the world into disarray, including in the United States, where hundreds of flights were canceled after outbreaks of the virus among aircrews. 

In spite of the territory’s restrictions, Hong Kong authorities announced that two of the city’s residents with no travel history had tested positive for the virus on Thursday, leading to further concerns of a flare-up. 

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for the National Interest. 

Image: Reuters