About 3 flights cancelled daily between Singapore and Hong Kong, out of eight
With the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (or some call it the Wuhan Virus) all the rage right now, my original plan of visiting China is now bust, so I was looking at alternative destinations, including Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.
This is when I found that it seems like Cathay Pacific is looking at cancelling some flights.
Cathay Pacific has since come out to say that it will be slashing 90% of flights to Mainland China, and dropping 30% of its services worldwide given the sluggish demand due to the virus.
Cathay Pacific stops selling some flights
While Cathay Pacific has not published the cancellations, I was looking through Expertflyer and notice something rather interesting: Cathay Pacific has zerorised some of the inventory to and from Singapore.
Cathay Pacific runs up to eight flights between Singapore and Hong Kong most days, including one CX712 that operates via Bangkok.
While the airline has not officially reduced capacity between Hong Kong and Singapore, a quick look on Expertflyer seems to suggest that the airline has canceled some flights right up to end of March.
For instance, in the weeks beginning 17 February and 9 March 2020 respectively:
| Date | Dep Time | 17 Feb (Mon) | 18 Feb (Tue) | 19 Feb (Wed) | 20 Feb (Thu) | 21 Feb (Fri) | 22 Feb (Sat) | 23 Feb (Sun) |
| CX714 | 0125 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CX692 | 0640 | C | C | C | C | |||
| CX710 | 0800 | C | C | C | C | C | C | |
| CX658 | 1000 | C | C | C | C | C | C | C |
| CX690 | 1255 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| CX712 | 1405 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | C |
| CX734 | 1640 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| CX716 | 1800 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CX636 | 2015 | C | C | C | C | C | C |
| Date | Dep Time | 9 Mar (Mon) | 10 Mar (Tue) | 11 Mar (Wed) | 12 Mar (Thu) | 13 Mar (Fri) | 14 Mar (Sat) | 15 Mar (Sun) |
| CX714 | 0125 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CX692 | 0640 | C | C | C | ||||
| CX710 | 0800 | C | C | C | C | C | ||
| CX658 | 1000 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CX690 | 1255 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CX712 | 1405 | C | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CX734 | 1640 | Y | Y | C | C | C | C | C |
| CX716 | 1800 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CX636 | 2015 | C | C | C | C | C | C |
Note: Y – operating; C – zeroed inventory (likely to be cancelled); blank – not scheduled to operate
Taiwan is now imposing mandatory quarantine for passing through Hong Kong
Taiwan has announced 7 Feb that it will be requiring all passengers passing through Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China – even in transit – to be quarantined for 14 days.
This makes a trip on Cathay Pacific to Taiwan now impossible, given that you will need to change planes in Hong Kong.
Final thoughts
This is certainly only the beginning, as we continue to see more cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus being reported globally.
I expect to see more airlines cancelling more services as people are slapped with travel restrictions, or are simply afraid to travel for the fear of getting the virus.
If you are intending to travel anytime soon, as usual, it’s best to check the status of your flight before you go.
Shanescape 