Transit flights at Hong Kong International Airport will be allowed to resume on June 1, said Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor according to Hong Kong-based newspaper the South China Morning Post (SCMP)

“It will be resumed appropriately … It won’t involve entry into the city or entrance restrictions,” said Lam, according to SCMP. 

Transit services at Hong Kong’s airport were suspended on March 25. This suspension was later extended on April 7.

On April 7, the Hong Kong government also extended its travel ban on non-Hong Kong residents “until further notice”. As part of the measures, all non-Hong Kong residents coming from overseas countries and regions by plane are banned from entering Hong Kong.

All passengers arriving into Hong Kong are tested for Covid-19.

The announcement to allow transit flights comes after Hong Kong recorded 11 days in a row without a locally transmitted case of the coronavirus (Covid-19). The city has now begun easing its social distancing measures by allowing entertainment venues including nightclubs and karaoke lounges to open this Friday.

Hong Kong Airport was one of the busiest airports in the world, but passenger traffic has collapsed in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The number of people travelling in and out of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) dropped to just 32,000 last month, indicating that traffic was down by 99.5 per cent in April 2020 compared to April 2019.

Air traffic statistics posted by the airport also show that HKIA saw 9,445 flights in April, a year-on-year decrease of 73.5 per percent.