Flights out of Hong Kong International Airport cancelled as anti-government protesters occupy terminal building
- Demonstrators don eye patches at Lantau Island hub, one of the world’s busiest international airports, in anger that a girl allegedly shot with a police beanbag round could lose an eye
- Sit-in comes after night of escalated violence inside subway stations
The Airport Authority blamed the cancellations from 4pm local time onwards on the protests which had “seriously disrupted” operations, with masses of demonstrators preventing passengers from checking in or clearing airport security.
“All check-in service for departure flights has been suspended. Other than the departure flights that have completed the check-in process and the arrival flights that are already heading to Hong Kong, all other flights have been cancelled for the rest of [Monday],” the operator of the Hong Kong International Airport said in a statement.
Roads leading to the airport were jammed with traffic, as busloads of protesters made their way there, many getting off their vehicles and continuing on foot because of the gridlock.
The demonstration marked the fourth straight day of protests at the Lantau Island hub, one of the world’s busiest international airports, as anti-government anger continued.
