North-east Asia: Border curbs, Covid-19 test rules hamper recovery

Hong Kong’s requirements of Covid-19 testing and quarantine on arrival continue to deter people from flying there. PHOTO: REUTERS
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SINGAPORE - Before the Covid-19 pandemic decimated air travel in the past two years, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) ranked among the busiest air hubs in Asia.

It handled 71.5 million passengers in 2019. This nosedived to 8.84 million in 2020, and plunged further to 1.35 million last year as strict border restrictions ground travel to a near halt.

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