UPDATE 2-Asian airlines slash flights to Hong Kong as unrest escalates

* AirAsia, Jeju Air, Cebu Pacific among those confirming
cuts
* Hong Kong airport passenger numbers declined 13% in
October
* Mainland Chinese carriers have reported large demand drop

(Adds Garuda Indonesia comment in paragraphs 7 and 8)
By Jamie Freed
SYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Several Asian airlines have cut
flights to Hong Kong for the coming weeks, an industry
scheduling publication showed, as anti-government protests in
the city grow increasingly violent and disrupt daily life.
Routes Online said the latest schedules showed cancellations
from PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk GIAA.JK , India's
SpiceJet Ltd SPJT.NS , Malaysia's AirAsia Group Bhd AIRA.KL ,
South Korea's JejuAir Co Ltd 089590.KS and Jin Air Co Ltd
272450.KS and the Philippines' PAL Holdings Inc PAL.PS and
Cebu Air Inc CEB.PS .
The cuts come as Hong Kong police on Monday fired tear gas
at protesters trying to escape a besieged university, while
others armed with petrol bombs awaited an expected operation to
oust them. The unrest, raging for almost six months, and an escalating
Sino-U.S. trade war has pushed the Asian financial hub into
recession for the first time in a decade. On Sunday, Airport Authority Hong Kong reported declines in
October of 13% in passengers and 6.1% in the number of inbound
and outbound flights - the steepest falls since the unrest
began. It said a growing proportion of travellers were using
Hong Kong as a transit point rather than a destination.
On Monday, Routes Online showed Garuda has reduced weekly
flights to Hong Kong to four from 21 through mid-December,
SpiceJet has suspended its Mumbai-Hong Kong route through Jan.
15 and AirAsia has cut flights from Kuala Lumpur and Kota
Kinabalu in December and January.
As of November, Garuda Indonesia adjusted its flight
frequency from Jakarta to Hong Kong from 14 flights to two
flights per week, and from Denpasar to Hong Kong from seven to
two flights, Ikhsan Rosan, a spokesman for the company said in a
statement.
"The change is an effort to adjust with the market demand,"
he said, adding that Garuda will monitor market needs,
especially for Christmas and New Year.
AirAsia said passenger numbers have been lower over the past
few months and it is adjusting capacity accordingly. SpiceJet
did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
A spokeswoman for PAL Holdings' Philippine Airlines said the
carrier was using smaller planes than usual for Hong Kong as
passengers were postponing travel due to safety concerns. It has
also cut daily flights from Manila to four from five, she said.
A spokeswoman for Cebu Air's Cebu Pacific said the budget
carrier has cut flights from Cebu through December and Clark
through January. However, the airline launched its Puerto
Princesa-Hong Kong route on Sunday as scheduled, she said.
A Jeju Air spokesman said the low-cost carrier has reduced
daily flights from Seoul to Hong Kong to one from two through
Dec. 17. A spokesman for rival Jin Air said the budget airline
had suspended Seoul-Hong Kong flights through Dec. 24.
Last week, Hong Kong's biggest carrier, Cathay Pacific
Airways Ltd 0293.HK , said its business outlook was
"challenging and uncertain" and that it has cut capacity and
delayed four plane deliveries. Major mainland Chinese carriers also reported double-digit
declines in demand on so-called regional routes in September and
October amid protests in Hong Kong and travel restrictions to
Taiwan, monthly traffic reports showed. Routes Online on Monday said several Chinese carriers,
including Air China Ltd 601111.SS 0753.HK , China Eastern
Airlines Corp Ltd 600115.SS and China Southern Airlines Co Ltd
600029.SS had filed for fresh capacity reductions to Hong Kong
since late October.
China Eastern declined to comment. Air China and China
Southern did not respond to requests for comment.

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Security tight at HK university as hundreds of protesters
trapped on campus Kong confirms economy fell into recession amid protests,
trade war Kong's Cathay defers delivery of 4 Airbus planes as demand
falls airlines hit by slides in demand on routes to Hong Kong,
Taiwan ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>