Hong Kong airport paralyzed for second day; check-in services suspended

Hong Kong protesters have swarmed the international airport for the second consecutive day and have practically paralyzed most of the operations. The protests on Tuesday have led to cancellations of many flights but the airport authority has not yet announced complete cancellations of all flights like it did yesterday. (Update: Flight check-in services have been suspended at Hong Kong's international airport, the airport authority said.)

Thousands of protesters swarmed the Hong Kong airport on Monday as well and authorities had to cancel almost all inbound and outbound flights after 18:00 hours HKT. Only a handful of protesters stayed through the night, and flights resumed at the airport early in the morning on Tuesday. But by afternoon, several hundred demonstrators had returned, responding to a call for a new rally.

Happening NOW: Protesters are now blocking both North and South departures gate at Terminal 1 @hkairport. They want to force the airport to stop operation#antiELAB #ExtraditionBill #FreedomHK #HongKongAirport #HongKongProtests #反送中 #HongKong pic.twitter.com/0c39V0ZGiw

— HKDemoNow (@hkdemonow) August 13, 2019

At Hong Kong airport thousands of protestors back. Now using trolleys for makeshift barriers. #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/8XjoiAmQEa

— Andy Lines (@andylines) August 13, 2019

Hong Kong airport's official website shows some flights will be operational even as reports by local media of Hong Kong show the airport completely blocked by the protesters. During a press conference yesterday, police spokesman did not rule out the possibility of use of tear gas even at the airport.

China on Monday also slammed violent protesters in Hong Kong who had thrown petrol bombs at police officers and linked them to "terrorism", as Beijing ramps up its rhetoric against pro-democracy demonstrations in the financial hub.

"Hong Kong's radical demonstrators have repeatedly used extremely dangerous tools to attack police officers, which already constitutes a serious violent crime, and also shows the first signs of terrorism emerging," said Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State council. Chinese People's Armed Police Force is also reportedly assembling near Shenzhen, a city bordering Hong Kong, for "large-scale military exercises."