Again, I appreciate the optimism Dommy. However, simply to manufacture significant vaccine doses and inject twice is no mean feat in high numbers.
HKG is looking at 2022 - so I would not be expecting Cathay back anytime soon in 2021 if this is true:
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...FS9XADYUTfSapg
I do agree with Ozzy though, shorthaul will make some kind of recovery reasonably quickly, but UK-US will not be so easy, for the reasons Ozzy outlined. We don't know what restrictions will be in place and it will require cross border co-operation, which so far hasn't really materialised. This country still hasn't got to grips with any significant airport testing let alone organising some kind of certificate vaccine passport system. I would just err on some kind of caution on the optimism, the fact that Virgin & Aer Lingus have lots of US slots doesn't mean to say they will actually materialise.
I want to get back to HKG ASAP but not being a resident it's not possible. In fact even now they are talking of restricting quotas for returning students who are resident due to a lack of hotels in HKG that have signed up to the quarantine regime. In HKG 14 days stricht confinement is mandatory if you are negative tested at the airport. If you are positive you are shipped off to a remote government facility.