Hogan Lovells has helped Hong Kong's airport secure an interim injunction to stop protests that led to hundreds of flights being canceled over two days and a violent clash with the police.

The Airport Authority, a regular client of Hogan Lovells, obtained an injunction from the High Court on Wednesday that effectively prohibits protests in the Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world's busiest, and helps return it to normal operations.

Since Friday, anti-government protesters organised sit-ins in the airport. It was the latest escalation in an unprecedented series of protests that began in June as protesting against a now-suspended bill to allow extraditions to China, and has evolved to include calls for addressing the government and police's mishandling of the protests, such as excessive force used by the police.

The airport protest peaked on Tuesday, when thousands of protesters filled the airport, blocking travelers from boarding their planes, leading to check-in services being suspended and 421 flights—more than 30% of the airport's daily total—being canceled. Later that night, some protesters clashed violently with riot police. After the injunction, check-ins resumed and the airport returned to mostly normal operations.

The Hogan Lovells team was led by litigation partner Mark Lin, who in 2016 helped the Airport Authority secure an environmental permit for constructing a third runway—worth $18 billion—after defeating a judicial review application in which local residents challenged the approval of the new runway's environmental impact assessment report. Barristers Benjamin Yu, a senior counsel, and Jonathan Chang and Esther Mak, both from Temple Chambers, also represented the Airport Authority on the injunction.

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