Hundreds of travelers at Hong Kong’s international airport faced delays on Thursday as the check-in system experienced an “abnormality” in its computer network. The Airport Authority shut down registration for check-in at several rows, causing scores of people to wait in queues with their luggage. However, the check-in system has fully resumed normal operation after the computer system was restored and five departure flights experienced delays of less than 30 minutes during the period.
One of the airlines most affected was Cathay Pacific Airways, the flagship carrier of the city. The South China Morning Post reported that Cathay did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hong Kong’s airport was one of the busiest international hubs before the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 71 million passengers in 2019.
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To encourage travelers and business people to return to the special Chinese administrative region that was hit by COVID restrictions over the past three years, the city’s government launched a promotional campaign called “Hello Hong Kong” starting in March. As a result, Hong Kong’s Tourism Board reported that provisional visitor arrivals tripled in February from the previous month to a three-year high of 1.4 million.