News

Home by Christmas, says Cathay

(China Daily HK Edition)
Updated: 2010-12-23 18:05

Cathay Pacific resumed its four scheduled flights between London and Hong Kong Wednesday after the second runway at the Heathrow Airport was cleared of snow.

The airline expected to return all Hong Kong passengers who have been stranded in Europe by Christmas Day.

BAA, private owner and operator of London Heathrow Airport, said it hoped to restore two thirds of the flights in and out of the airport after it cleared one of its two runways that had been covered by heavy snow in the past weekend.

Apart from Cathay Pacific's four flights, another four passenger flights arrived in Hong Kong Wednesday from London.

The first extra flight to bring back Hong Kong passengers, mostly students, arrived in Hong Kong Wednesday night.

The Cathay Pacific flight, which departed from Manchester, carried 250 Hong Kong students from among its 300 passengers. The airline had transported the students from a conference hall billet near Heathrow.

Another two additional flights are scheduled. One left from Manchester and was due to arrive at eight o'clock this morning. The other will take off from London.

In total, the three extra flights will return 1,000 passengers, including some 400 students. The airline said it gave priority to students aged between 13 and 16.

Thirteen students who reported falling ill were already under treatment.

A director of the airline's corporate services said Wednesday the airline was considering a fourth extra flight to clear the massive backlog.

The airline estimated more than 2,000 Hong Kong passengers holding tickets were stuck in London.

The Immigration Department of the government has sent eight staff members to London to arrange citizens holding other airlines' tickets to travel on board Cathay Pacific's flights.

Those travelers will not be charged additional fees until they arrive in Hong Kong.

Nine tourism groups totaling 170 Hongkongers were still stranded in Europe, according to the Travel Industry Council Wednesday.

Among them, four groups comprised of 100 tourists were caught in London. The other five were stuck in Prague and Barcelona.

Travel agencies have arranged return flights detouring around London.

China Daily

(HK Edition 12/23/2010 page1)