Dozens of airlines jointly sent a letter to the Hong Kong government earlier this month to seek exemption from airport charges as they struggled to cope with the economic impact of anti-government protests, which led to a sharp drop in passenger demand.
Ronald Lam the senior executive at Cathay Pacific Airways says there is a double-digit drop in passengers in August compared to last year and the situation is expected to worsen in the remaining months of the year.
Many airlines have reduced and cut their services to and from Hong Kong during the past four months as many routes have become unprofitable due to declining passenger numbers.