'Hongkongers Can Fly Home Despite Japan Airport Ban'

Transport minister Lam Sai-hung on Wednesday said holidaymakers will still be able to fly home from airports across Japan, even though airlines have been told they cannot use some of them for flights to and from Hong Kong.

Tokyo has announced that from Friday, passenger flights to and from Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland can only land in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, while arrivals from China will be given Covid tests amid concerns about infections and easing pandemic curbs on the mainland.

SAR officials say airlines will not be allowed to put on any additional flights to Japan from Hong Kong.

But Lam said the Japanese authorities have told Hong Kong that passengers can still be brought home from other Japanese airports – such as those in Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa – even after the restrictions come into force on Friday.

The minister said he is "very disappointed" by the "hasty decision" made by Japan during a peak travel season.

His bureau said it has written to Tokyo and liaised with the Consulate-General of Japan in the SAR to express strong concern and request that the arrangement be abandoned.

Officials also said they have been in touch with local airlines and have been told they will try their best to bring home travellers affected by Tokyo's new policy.

Yuen Chun-ning, the chairman of travel agency WWPKG Holdings Company, told RTHK that at least 50,000 people who were planning to go to Japan in January will be affected by the move.

"There are around a dozen flights for Sapporo every week, and 10 flights to Fukuoka. There are tens of thousands of seats in total and they are fully booked during the Lunar New Year in January," he said.