Hong Kong (dpa) - Protests at Hong Kong International Airport failed to materialise on Saturday afternoon despite calls that had been shared across social media to disrupt airport transport networks.

Instead, small bands of protesters roamed Hong Kong's Kowloon peninsula, where more anti-government demonstrations were expected to take place later in the evening.

Earlier this week, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam formally withdrew the controversial bill that had unleashed 14 consecutive weeks of demonstrations. The bill, which was suspended but not fully withdrawn in mid-June, would have allowed for Hong Kong residents to be extradited to mainland China.

Despite Lam's announcement, anti-government protesters had been expected to arrive at the airport disguised as tourists, but they may have been deterred by a heavy police presence at the airport as well as stop and searches carried out on buses.

Roadblocks were seen on the highway near the airport, with police checking driver IDs, while passengers were not allowed into the airport without a check of their travel itinerary.

Hundreds of police were seen at the airport and the surrounding district earlier on Saturday, but by 5 pm (0900 GMT) they appeared to have left.

Hong Kong's airport, one of the world’s busiest, has been a focal point of anti-government demonstrations that have been ongoing since June, as many protesters believe police are loathe to fire tear gas at such a busy and international location.

The anti-climatic scenes at the airport on Saturday stood in sharp contrast to chaotic scenes from last weekend as travellers were stuck queueing for hours after the airport train was shut down and nearby roads closed in a bid by police to capture protesters.

Airport authorities have secured an injunction against protest inside the airport, after a mass sit-in in August led to two days of cancelled flights, but last Saturday’s crowd still drew protesters in the low thousands to the airport bus terminal.

Since protests against the extradition bill began on June 9, they have escalated into a mass anti-government demonstration with additional demands, including calls for electoral reform and an independent investigation into police brutality.

Lam has promised that the Independent Commission Against Corruption, an internal police body, will review police actions, but protesters say she has not gone far enough.

Many protesters have said they will continue to demonstrate until all of their demands are met.

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