BackHong Kong unrest forces IndiGo to suspend flights from Kolkata
Indigo, which also operates flights to the region from Bengaluru, will continue to fly them and so will Air IndiaHong Kong, one of the busiest business capitals of the world, has in the past few weeks seen public protests calling for democracy
PremiumNEW DELHI : Poor yields on the Kolkata-Hong Kong route, exacerbated by incidents of violence in the Chinese territory, have forced InterGlobe Aviation to suspend these flights from 6 November.
"We are in the process of evaluating alternate route options between India and Hong Kong and IndiGo will start operations as soon as possible," IndiGo, the airline run by InterGlobe, said in a statement.
"Affected passengers are being contacted and will be offered refunds or alternate travel arrangements," it added.
Indigo, which also operates flights to the region from Bengaluru, will continue to fly them and so will Air India, which flies to Hong Kong from both Mumbai and Delhi. There will be no cut in frequency, a spokesperson of the state-owned airline said.
Hong Kong, one of the busiest business capitals of the world, has in the past few weeks seen public protests calling for democracy. Hong Kong enjoys greater autonomy than the mainland, enjoying its own legal and justice system.
It all started in June when the local government passed a law that allowed handover of criminal suspects to mainland China to stand trial. The law was revoked last month but the protests have continued, now snowballing into a bigger demand for full democracy. Protestors have often occupied streets and important landmarks in the city. The local government has cracked down and business has been hit.
The violence has brought back memories of the Chinese government crackdown on pro-democracy activists at Beijing’s Tianenmen Square in 1989. It had led to killing of hundreds of people, mainly youth, at the hands of the Chinese army. Several were arrested and later executed. Reportage of the Tianenmen events is still censored by the Chinese authorities.
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