Agreeing to the ban, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong – the city's largest political party, in a statement said the bans are necessary for passenger safety, as it is unknown whether the pilots would protest while working for the airline.

Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also expressed his support for the Civil Aviation Administration's decision, on his social media account.

In one post, the former chief executive said those employees should be fired, as they brought political issues into the workplace and affected passengers with their political demands.

At the airport, a mainland visitor surnamed Zou expressed her disappointment with Cathay Pacific, noting it is irresponsible if the airline allows an employee involved in violent protests and charged with related crimes to continue to work.

"The information leakage is despicable and it violates professional ethics," Zou said, adding that she won't take the company's flights in the short term because of safety concerns and fears of personal information leaks.

A Hong Kong artist, Yeung Mui-na, told China Daily that she was outraged over the leaking of police officers' personal information.

The actions not only infringed passenger privacy, but also violated the law, Yeung said.