Global Courant
HONG KONG – According to people familiar with the matter, Hong Kong is on the verge of returning to check-in at the airport in the heart of the city, reviving a system that epitomized convenience for travelers before the Covid-19 outbreak. isolation of the financial center.
After being cordoned off for more than three years, check-in counters at Hong Kong station are expected to open on July 5, the people said. then pick them up at their final destination.
No decision has yet been made on whether to resume check-in at Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
City check-in was suspended in April 2020 as Hong Kong imposed strict restrictions on international travel, including weeks of mandatory quarantine in designated facilities for anyone flying in.
Although Hong Kong dropped its latest Covid-19 restrictions months ago, a shortage of workers has prevented train operator MTR Corp and the airport from restarting baggage service.
MTR, Airport Authority Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd did not respond to email requests for comment.
Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world where you can check into the city – others are Taipei and Kuala Lumpur.
Restarting the service will lift one of the last remnants of the pandemic from a city that has endured longer than most other Covid-19 restrictions — a policy that has damaged its reputation as a riotous, easy-to-navigate financial center .
Visitor numbers are still far from pre-pandemic levels. Cathay, Hong Kong’s main airline, does not expect to reach 2019 passenger capacity levels until late next year.
Express train services from Hong Kong station to the airport, a 24-minute journey for HK$110 ($19) per adult, continued to run during the pandemic, albeit at reduced frequencies. BLOOMBERG
