London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

BA temporarily suspends passenger flights to and from Hong Kong

BA temporarily suspends passenger flights to and from Hong Kong

Two separate sources say British flag carrier took decision after one crew member tested positive for Covid-19 at Hong Kong airport, resulting in most of flight staff being sent to quarantine camp.

British Airways has temporarily suspended passenger flights to and from Hong Kong after more of its aircrew were sent to a government quarantine camp.

Two separate sources said the British flag carrier had taken the decision after one aircrew member tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday. The test result led to most of the BA staff on the flight being taken to Penny’s Bay quarantine centre on Lantau Island.

Health officials also refused to allow the crew to return to Britain on an empty flight instead.

BA was scheduled to operate daily flights to and from Hong Kong to London’s Heathrow airport, and had a daily service planned for December.

The carrier cancelled its Hong Kong-bound flight on Saturday triggering a knock-on effect for its service back to London on Sunday.

A London-bound passenger flight scheduled to leave Hong Kong at 11.45pm on Saturday was set to be BA’s last for an unspecified period.

In a statement, the carrier said: “We have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend flights to Hong Kong while we review operational requirements for this route.”

A spokeswoman added that BA was supporting crew currently isolating in Hong Kong.

BA’s website shows its flights to Hong Kong are cancelled at least until December 3.

The temporary suspension, which had passengers scrambling for new flights, could also affect those trying to return to their homes and families in time for Christmas.

The action comes after BA crew were also detained the previous week. Similar incidents involving foreign aircrew have affected multiple carriers and prompted much criticism from the airline community.

The Department of Health confirmed in a statement that one BA crew member on November 20 and another on Saturday had tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at Hong Kong airport.

“According to epidemiological investigations, other crew members on the same plane are classified as close contacts and must be sent to a quarantine centre for quarantine,” it said.

A spokesman said the crew members from the November 20 case had since returned to Britain.

BA says it is reviewing operational requirements for the route.


In recent months, many carriers have opted to stop their aircrew laying over in Hong Kong to avoid the risk of detention despite many airlines only sending fully vaccinated crew and complying with preflight Covid-19 tests.

Air Canada, Emirates, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and United Airlines are just some of the major carriers choosing to avoid stopovers in Hong Kong.

The sudden cancellation was a nasty surprise for BA passenger Gregory Yu who had been due to leave London for Hong Kong within hours.

“I’ve just found out that my flight is cancelled … they cancelled it in less than 12 hours time as I checked it at 1am [GMT] last night and it’s still going on, even asked me to arrive at [the] airport 5 hours ago,” he wrote on the Hong Kong Quarantine Support Group’s Facebook page.

Yu managed to grab a last-minute Virgin Atlantic flight departing on Saturday night but paid £554 (US$738) for it, £106 more than for his BA ticket.

Hong Kong has staunchly defended a zero-Covid strategy that has resulted in months of no local coronavirus infections. Many travellers face a mandatory 21 days of hotel quarantine.

Local aircrew also must quarantine for up to 14 days or face strict medical surveillance checks for the same period under recently tightened rules.

The stricter rules for aircrew stemmed from three Cathay Pacific pilots – since dismissed – breaching company policies overseas, and returning to Hong Kong infected with the virus while enjoying isolation exemptions.

With quarantine measures unlikely to be removed for some time, global package delivery giant FedEx opted to shut down its Hong Kong pilot base having earlier moved staff to San Francisco over the aircrew isolation policy.

Cathay Pacific this week said it would cancel many inbound flights after failing to find enough pilots for its so-called closed-loop arrangement.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×