Hong Kong violence forces cancellation of major airline conference

Street violence in Hong Kong has led to the biggest regional business conference for airline executives being cancelled. Due to be hosted by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways, 21-22 November, the annual gathering of the leadership of 15 airlines was pulled as a new round of violence erupted on the streets of Hong Kong in the second week of November. “This was a very difficult decision, given our commitment to organise this important industry event, but reflects the unpredictability of the situation in Hong Kong,” the AAPA said in a statement. “At the same time, the well-being of our delegates and guests has always been of paramount important.” The association’s 15-member airlines takes turns to host the annual conference, which was held last year in South Korea. Hong Kong’s flag carrier has admitted that inbound passenger traffic in October slumped 35% from a year earlier and warned that second-half financial results could be “significantly” lower than the first due to the troubles. The Airfinance Journal and Airline Economics conference had recently gone ahead in Hong Kong at the end of October, albeit with a big drop in attendance compared to previous years and the Hong Kong tradefair calendar has largely survived the effects of unrest as organisers, buyers and exhibitors have largely stood firm in the territory. However, public events including fireworks displays, musical and theatre shows, sports tournaments and an international tattoo convention have been pulled, with organisers blaming the ongoing protests and saying the safety of their participants is paramount. The Formula E-Prix race weekend due to take place in February is under threat although no decision has been made to cancel the Hong Kong 7s rugby tournament that traditionally attracts a major audience. This week saw tear gas fired in the central financial district, and there have been battles with students around university grounds. The protests, previously confined to weekends and isolated areas, are now doing real harm to businesses. The government has responded with some relief measures for the tourism industry, including a HK$100m (US$12.8m) hand out for travel agencies.