Protesters occupy the departure hall of the Hong Kong International Airport during a demonstration on August 12 in Hong Kong, China.
Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
Hong Kong's airport reopened on Tuesday but its administrator warned that flight movements would still be affected, after China said widespread anti-government protests that halted flights a day earlier showed "sprouts of terrorism".
The notice was published on the Hong Kong International Airport's official mobile app at 6 a.m. local time. The airport, one of the world's busiest, blamed demonstrators for halting flights on Monday.
"Hong Kong International Airport will implement flight rescheduling today with flight movements expected to be affected," the notice said.
The exact trigger for the airport's closure was not clear because protesters occupying the arrivals hall for the past five days have been peaceful. Most had left shortly after midnight, with about 50 protesters still there on Tuesday morning.
A Reuters reporter saw more than 100 travelers queuing up at Cathay Pacific's ticketing counter early on Tuesday.
Hong Kong — a former British colony that was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 — has been struggling to end weeks of protests that have in recent weeks turned increasingly violent and disruptive.
The rallies, which were started to protest a bill that would have allowed people to be extradited to mainland China, have snowballed into a democracy movement, with some even demanding full autonomy from Beijing.
The unrest has frequently crippled the Asian financial hub's transportation system and last Monday, Cathay cancelled hundreds of flights during a general strike.
— CNBC contributed to this report.
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