Hong Kong is considering relaxing rules that temporarily ban flights if they bring in a certain number of Covid-19 cases.
The threshold for triggering the suspension of a flight will be raised to five or more cases from the current three, people familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post.
The people said that officials are discussing whether to shorten the flight routes from seven to five days.
The people said that it was not yet known when the shift would be implemented, with one saying that a reduction in the ban's duration needed approval from the Hong Kong Chief Executive.
Representatives for the Hong Kong government did not respond to the request for comment.
Hong Kong Falls is an aviation hub.
If three or more passengers are found to be carrying Covid on their way to Hong Kong, the flight will be suspended for seven days, and if one of them is confirmed to be carrying the disease, the flight will be canceled.
The move is seen as a small gesture to address complaints from the airline industry, and decisions on a wider easing will likely be left to John Lee when he takes over in July, one of the people familiar with the plan said.
More than 10 routes are currently suspended, including ones flown by Cathay Pacific Airways. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways are not taking reservations for flights to Hong Kong until later in the year.
On April 1, Hong Kong relaxed some of its Covid travel curbs, including a ban on flights from the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.
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