35 Hong Kong to Mideast flights disrupted, with more expected after attack on Iran
Passengers already packing Hong Kong airport to inquire about suspended departures to Riyadh, Doha and Qatar from day before
At least 35 flights from Hong Kong to the Middle East originally scheduled for Sunday and Monday have been disrupted following the joint United States-Israeli attack on Iran, with further cancellations and delays likely to follow.
The flights were primarily to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Doha in Qatar and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Luo Kui, a 45-year-old Shanghai software architect, was stranded overnight in Hong Kong after his Cathay Pacific flight to Dubai, scheduled at 5pm on Saturday, was cancelled.
On Sunday morning, the airline gave him two options: he could either keep his connecting flight to Dubai – tentatively rescheduled for Wednesday – but pay for his own accommodation until departure, or change his ticket and return to Shanghai.