A three-hour strike launched by ground service workers at the Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday affected 66 flights, the Hong Kong Airport Authority said.

By 5 p.m., 30 flights departed late and baggage had been delayed for passengers on 36 flights that arrived at the airport, an Airport Authority official told Xinhua.

The workers from Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd. started the strike at 1 p.m. to protest the cancellation of their annual merit bonuses, said the official surnamed Lam, adding that the workers resumed work at 4 p.m. and the airport operation had returned normal.

During the strike, the airport operator had contacted two other grounds services companies for help, and sent personnel to explain to the passengers the cause for the inconveniences, she said.

Immediately after the strike, the labor and the manager sides held one-hour talks and agreed to hold another round of talks on Jan. 5, 2009.

The Hong Kong International Airport is one of Asia's busiest and it handled 47.8 million passengers in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2008)