Visiting Hong Kong has never been cheaper as protests drag on – US$400 fares from New York, US$180 from Singapore, anybody?

A drop in tourism amid anti-government unrest has seen airlines slash fairs. The biggest cuts are on long-haul routes, with leading carriers offering deals

Flights from London can be had for US$460, and from Los Angeles for US$310. In Asia, flights from Bangkok are down to US$140; hotels have cut room rates too

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The sudden drop in tourism caused by anti-government protests has seen airfares to and from Hong Kong plunge. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 5:00am, 1 Oct 2019Updated: 1:43pm, 3 Oct 2019

It is not just airfares from Hong Kong that have plunged amid anti-government protests that have seen a slump in travel – there are bargain deals to be had in October for travel to the city as airlines try to fill seats, and no wonder. The city’s airport charges carriers among the highest fees in Asia.

The average cost of flying a Boeing 777-300ER, a workhorse on long-haul travel, into Hong Kong International Airport is HK$110,732 (US$14,125) for landing, parking and passenger fees. In contrast, Singapore’s Changi airport charges the US$12,720 and Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou charge US$11,593.

Hong Kong isn’t quite the hot destination it used to be following a series of anti-government protests – but that means flights to the city are now very affordable. Photo: Edward Wong

Protesters occupied the airport in August, and nearly 1,000 flights were cancelled. Arrivals that month fell by 12,4 per cent according to the Airport Authority, which forecasts the airport will handle two million fewer passengers in 2019 than in 2018.

That would be its first decline in traffic in 10 years, and contrasts with its earlier prediction of 3 per cent traffic growth this year. Several countries have travel advisories in place for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways revealed it suffered a 12 per cent decline in passengers flying out of Hong Kong in August compared with the same period last year. It has cut the frequency on some of its most popular routes.