Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) has announced that it has implemented health measures in order to gradually resume transfer / transit services at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).
The airport authority has also made it mandatory for all the passengers, including departing, arriving and transfer / transit passengers, as well as airport staff, to wear face masks at all passenger accessible areas, beginning from 1 June and lasting until further notice.
AA Airport Operations executive director Vivian Cheung 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.”
In addition, AA is implementing other preventive measures such as conducting body temperature screening for all passengers, including upon arrival.
All the transfer / transit passengers will be directed directly to the boarding gates for their connecting flights immediately and transfer / transit passengers will be given stickers at transfer points for identification purpose.
The authority also installed protective screens at service counters, including airline check-in counters and customer services centres. It has also set-up designated dining areas for transfer / transit passengers.
Airport officials also advised passengers to maintain a safe physical distance of at least 1.5m from each other when standing in queues.
It has placed alcohol-based hand rub dispensers around the airport and sanitising floor mats are available at each arrival gate and across the entire terminal.
AA has also asked airlines to implement pre-flight and in-flight safety measures, including basic health assessments such as checking passengers’ body temperatures before boarding at origin destinations.
In March this year, HKIA saw a significant drop in passenger traffic in February due to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).
According to the figures released by the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), HKIA handled 1.9 million passengers during the month.
The passenger numbers show a year-on-year (YoY) decrease of 68%, mainly due to weak travel demand, as well as immigration restrictions and quarantine measures.
