- Hong Kong airport has cancelled all flights going in and out of the city for the rest of the day as protesters occupy the arrival and departure halls.
- Thousands of protesters continue to occupy Hong Kong International Airport for the fourth consecutive day.
- They are rallying against the mainland Chinese government and the Hong Kong police’s handling of recent rallies in the city.
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Hong Kong airport authorities have cancelled all flights going in and out of the city for the rest of the day as protesters continue to gather at the busy hub.
"Airport operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted as a result of the public assembly at the airport today," authorities said in a statement sent to Business Insider, issued at 3:30 p.m. local time.
"Other than the departure flights that have completed the check-in process and the arrival flights that are already heading to Hong Kong, all other flights have been cancelled for the rest of today," the statement added.
Thousands of people have occupied Hong Kong International Airport’s departures and arrivals hall for the past four consecutive days, protesting the mainland Chinese government and Hong Kong police’s handling of the city’s recent rallies.
The airport typically handles about 800 flights every day, Hong Kong’s RTHK TV channel reported.
Earlier on Monday, Hong Kong International Airport restricted the departures area to passengers with a ticket to leave the city in the next 24 hours.
There have also been reports of heavy traffic in and out of the airport due to the protests.
Read more: Hong Kong activists use ‘Pokémon Go’ and Tinder to organize as police crack down on protests
The city’s protests — which have lasted more than nine weeks — have seen violence from both activists and police, and are showing no sign of ending soon.
Beijing has repeatedly expressed support for the police and vowed to respond harshly to the protests, which it has called "riots."
Yang Guang, a spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, which operates under China’s State Council, said on Monday afternoon that protests were showing "signs of terrorism" and promised to respond with an "iron fist," according to the South China Morning Post.
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Source: Business Insider – ama@businessinsider.com (Alexandra Ma)