This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
On August 12, 2019, Hong Kong's airport was brought to a standstill as thousands of demonstrators gathered to protest the police's response to the previous night's protests.
The airport, one of the world's busiest, was severely disrupted, with over 100 flights canceled, including many departing after 6 p.m.
The protesters, who had been angered by the police's use of tear gas and charging at protesters on an escalator the night before, filled the arrivals hall and eventually moved upstairs to the departures hall.
The airport's operations were 'seriously disrupted' due to the public assembly, according to a statement from the airport.
The cancellation of flights was a stark display of the power of the protests to disrupt the basic functioning of the Asian financial hub.
