Tickets to visit Chinese aircraft carrier in Hong Kong gone in under a minute

The first batch of tickets to get an inside view of a Chinese aircraft carrier, the Shandong, docking in Hong Kong from July 3 to 7, has been snapped up in less than a minute.

The Post found the tickets were picked up within 45 seconds after they were released on WeChat on Monday.

A total of 10,000 tickets, with 2,000 designated for the aircraft carrier and 8,000 for two other vessels – the Zhangjian missile destroyer and the Yuncheng missile frigate – are up for grabs, with real-name registration beginning at 10am, 3pm and 8pm on Monday until all tickets are claimed.

It remains unclear how many tickets are being offered in each session.

The five-day visit of the naval fleet, which includes another missile destroyer, the Yan’an, is part of the city’s celebrations on the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule.

It marks the first time a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy aircraft carrier strike group has visited the city in eight years. The last visit was by China’s first commissioned aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-era vessel, in July 2017.