This Jan 5, 2023 picture shows passengers (center) checking in for their flight at Hong Kong International Airport. (PHOTO / AFP)
HONG KONG – Travelers faced delays to check-in for their flights at the Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday after computer services broke down, with footage showing scores of people stuck in queues with their luggage.
The Airport Authority, which manages the facility, apologized for the service disruption.
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The authority said it found glitches in its computer system during regular testing and maintenance in the early hours of Thursday.
The Airport Authority said part of the facilities was back up and running from 8 am
The glitches affected check-in procedures between aisles A and E, it added.
It said it immediately activated its emergency response system and arranged for the airlines affected to use other aisles.
Part of the facilities was back up and running from 8 am, it added.
Cathay Pacific Airways, the city's flagship carrier, was one of the most affected, the local media reported.
Hong Kong's airport was one of the busiest international hubs before the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 71 million passengers in 2019.
Following the lifting of pandemic curbs and resumption of normal travel, the number of tourists arriving in Hong Kong has exceeded 1 million for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic three years ago.
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The city saw a provisional visitor arrival of 1.462 million in February, or three times the number recorded in January, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Wednesday.