Postal services to certain destinations suspended
In view of the substantial reduction in flight frequencies or even cancellation of flights to certain destinations by airlines, Hongkong Post announced today (March 27) that it was considered necessary to adjust air mail services to these destinations.
At this critical moment, Hongkong Post still hopes to maintain its Speedpost services to major destinations by all means where possible, so as to facilitate the posting of urgent mail by the public. Notwithstanding this, even though Hongkong Post has completed the handling procedures after posting, as a result of substantial reduction in flight frequencies, the time required for handing in posted items to airlines is subject to considerable delays of more than two weeks.
In respect of the service suspension of air mail to these major destinations, the public may consider using surface mail services instead. In this connection, Hongkong Post has requested service providers concerned to advance their shipping schedules or increase their frequencies of service to up to once per week. Members of the public may visit the Hongkong Post website at
www.hongkongpost.hk/en/preparation/posting/latest_dates/index.html and refer to the latest dates of posting for forthcoming surface despatches. Major destinations affected are set out below:
| Destinations | Service types available | |
| Asia | Japan, Korea | Speedpost and surface mail |
| Europe | United Kingdom, Spain | Speedpost and surface mail |
| Ireland | Surface mail | |
| North America | United States of America, Canada | Speedpost and surface mail |
| Oceania | Australia, New Zealand | Surface mail |
In addition, mail items to be sent to the following destinations are required to transit via the above destinations, therefore their air mail services will also be subject to impacts of varied degrees:
| Destinations | Service types suspended | |
| Asia | Timor-Leste | Air mail (excluding Speedpost) |
| Korea, North | Air parcel | |
| Africa | Gambia, Malawi | Air parcel |
| Canary Islands, Spanish Territories of North Africa | Air mail (excluding Speedpost) | |
| Central and South America | Falkland Islands, The Territory of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | Air mail (excluding Speedpost) |
| Europe | Guernsey, Isle of Man | Air letter |
| Balearic Islands, Channel Islands | Air mail (excluding Speedpost) | |
| North America | Cayman Islands, Haiti, St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis | Air letter |
| Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent And The Grenadines, Turks & Caicos Islands | Air parcel | |
| Virgin Islands of the United States of America, Anguilla, Barbados, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Tortola | Airmail (except Speedpost) |
|
| Oceania | Kiribati, Samoa (the United States of America Territory), Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Western Samoa | Air letter |
| Wake Island | Air parcel | |
| Christmas Island (Indian Ocean), Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand Islands Territories, Norfolk Islands, Pitcairn Islands, Vanuatu (The Republic of) |
Airmail (except Speedpost) |
|
As advised respectively by the postal administration of France about its suspension of surface mail and the postal administration of India about its suspension of surface and air mail, postal services to and transit via these two destinations are also subject to impacts of varied degrees. The list of destinations affected is set out as follows:
| Destinations | Service types suspended | |
| Asia | India | Airmail (including Speedpost) and surface mail |
| Nepal | All surface mail | |
| Bhutan | Surface parcel | |
| Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan | Surface letter | |
| Africa | Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Monaco, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda (Rep.), Togo | Surface letter |
| Comoros | All surface mail | |
| Central and South America | Antigua And Barbuda, Haiti, Mauritania | Surface letter |
| French West Indies (Guadeloupe), French West Indies (Martinique) | All surface mail | |
| Europe | Andorra, Corsica, France | All surface mail |
| Armenia | Surface letter | |
| Oceania | Cape Verde, St. Pierre And Miquelon, Wallis And Futuna Islands | Surface letter |
As the substantial reduction in flight frequencies continues, it is anticipated that air traffic capacity would not be able to resume stable in the near future. Members of the public may visit the Hongkong Post website and refer to the links
www.hongkongpost.hk/en/about_us/whats_new/notices/index_id_898.html and www.hongkongpost.hk/en/about_us/whats_new/notices/index_id_899.html for all the destinations and their respective services under influence.