Flight bookings to Hong Kong have fallen 10%, hit by the unrest in the city, said Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Australian carrier Qantas Airways.
The airline is planning to cut its capacity by 7% on Hong Kong flights, he said, adding that it will switch to smaller aircraft on those routes.
"Anytime we've seen some political unrest ... we do see a hit that happens. Usually that's short term and the recovery once the issue is resolved ... happens very rapidly," said Joyce, speaking to CNBC after the airline posted results on Thursday. "We are seeing around a 10% drop in our Hong Kong volumes."week. The rallies started out as a demonstration against a proposed extradition bill which has since been suspended.
The turning point for air travel came when protesters staged sit-ins at the city's airport for several days, crippling one of the world's busiest terminals. Earlier in August,Qantas will now shift its bigger aircraft capacity to other markets such as Manila and Singapore, which are showing "really strong growth," Joyce said.
"We'll take advantage of moving that capacity around. While it is having an impact, we're hopeful that it will be in the short term, and our ability to match supply and demand helps us manage the issues around it," he said.to U.S. freight business has been weak, as the air freight sector has been hurt by ongoing trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.on Thursday, driven by fuel costs and a weaker Aussie dollar.
In other plans, Joyce told CNBC that the airline is planning its first non-stop flights from New York to Sydney, and London to Sydney, aiming to have those flights operational by 2022.
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