No joy for airlines seeking waivers, cuts in Hong Kong airport fees to help get through hard times
- Airport Authority makes clear it has no relief measures planned for airlines
- Airlines asked for lower landing, parking fees; lower rents for offices, lounges
No news looks like bad news for airlines hoping for financial relief from the government or Hong Kong International Airport to cope with sharp declines in business after more than five months of unrest in the city.
It has been two months since a coalition of airlines wrote to the authorities pleading for help, including waivers of airport fees and charges.
“So far, we haven’t heard back from the government,” Ronald Lam Siu-por, Cathay Pacific’s chief customer and commercial officer, told analysts at a closed-door meeting last Thursday.
Lam is chairman of the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR), which acts for more than 70 airlines flying to Hong Kong, and wrote the letter to the authorities saying many airlines had reduced or cut services as declining passenger numbers made many routes unprofitable.
On the group’s wish list were adjustments to airport landing and parking fees, as well as lower rentals for offices and lounges.
