Hong Kong Airlines pursues international transformation with strengthening route community 

Hong Kong Airlines lately celebrated its 18th anniversary and unveils its strategic improvement plan. This milestone marks  the airline’s strong development momentum and confidence within the Hong Kong aviation trade, because it  broadcasts its return to the long-haul market in early 2025.

Going International: Returning to long-haul market 

Firstly, Hong Kong Airlines will resume its Gold Coast direct service on 17 January 2025 (4  occasions weekly), offering passengers with handy journey choices between Hong Kong, the  Greater Bay Area, and the Gold Coast. It may even resume its Vancouver route on the next  day, 18 January 2025 (two occasions weekly, ticket reservations can be out there quickly), which marks its official return to the long-haul international market. This strategic transfer signifies the airline’s  transformation from a regional service to an international airline, with a deal with increasing its  world route community.

Following a profitable restructuring final yr, Hong Kong Airlines has been actively enhancing its  providers and increasing its enterprise. Through strategic planning, the airline has demonstrated a  robust restoration functionality by optimising its route community and adjusting its fleet construction, which now covers greater than 30 locations.

This yr, the variety of flight sectors has totally recovered to pre-pandemic ranges, with an  common passenger load issue of roughly 85%. The airline expects to succeed in its annual  visitors goal of carrying greater than 5 million passengers by the top of 2024. Additionally,  bookings for the Christmas and Lunar New Year interval have already reached 85%, with that for  the ski resort routes in Northeast Asia reaching 90%. In response to this robust demand, the  airline will enhance flight frequency on related routes from December.

Expands the fleet to extend carrying capability 

To help its enterprise development, Hong Kong Airlines has considerably expanded its fleet this yr,  introducing a number of Airbus A330-300 wide-body plane to help medium- to long-haul routes.  The airline has additionally launched its first A321 plane, configured with 220 all-economy class seats,  to extend passenger capability and operational effectivity. By the top of this yr, Hong Kong  Airlines’ fleet is anticipated to develop to round 30 plane and the corporate will proceed to develop  the fleet measurement as wanted to additional enhance its capability.

The diversified fleet configuration will help flight flexibility and protection, facilitating passengers with handy entry from Hong Kong to common vacationer locations in mainland  China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Europe. In  addition to working its personal routes, the airline will proceed to collaborate with companions to  develop its codeshare community, present seamless sea-land-air intermodal transportation, and  try to supply service range.

Capitalises on 3RS alternative & expands intermodal transportation in GBA 

The third runway system (3RS) at Hong Kong International Airport is scheduled to completely  start operations on the finish of November, which can considerably improve the airport’s  throughput, optimise flight departure and arrival processes, and enhance operational effectivity  and passenger expertise. Leveraging Hong Kong’s distinctive geographical benefits to, join  mainland China with the remainder of the world, in addition to the chance introduced by the 3RS, Hong  Kong Airlines will utilise the “airport city” infrastructure and surrounding aviation community to  deepen cooperation with cities within the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and promote intermodal  transportation, equivalent to seamless “air-land-air” transfers by way of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge,  to offer passengers with a extra handy journey expertise.

Starting this winter, the airline will enhance flights to Seoul (twice day by day) and Tokyo (5 occasions  day by day), whereas Sapporo will grow to be a day by day flight. It may even launch Sendai route in December and resume flights to the Gold Coast and Vancouver in January 2025, demonstrating its confidence  within the capability of the 3RS and dedication to exploring extra potential routes to strengthen ties  with Belt and Road nations and international markets.

Active recruitment to develop the workforce 

To cope with enterprise development, Hong Kong Airlines has recruited over 600 new staff this  yr, a lot of whom have already stuffed the frontline positions, bringing the entire variety of  cabin crew to greater than 1200. Looking forward, the variety of staff is anticipated to extend  by 60% subsequent yr, with a 60% enhance in pilots and a 1.6-fold enhance in cabin crew. Recruitment  will proceed within the native market in addition to the GBA, South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia and  past.

Enhances passenger providers for elevated journey expertise 

Hong Kong Airlines is dedicated to offering passengers with secure, high-quality, and  snug flying experiences, and incorporates Hong Kong’s cultural traits into its  providers. This yr, the airline has optimised its cabin and airport lounge providers to offer the  greatest passenger consolation potential.

To create a novel in-flight eating expertise for enterprise class passengers, the airline has  partnered with Michelin beneficial native restaurant, Man Yuen, in addition to Michelin starred  Cantonese restaurant, Ming Court, on the Cordis Hotel, to supply beautiful Chinese inventive delicacies.  To begin with, Man Yuen has been offering signature dishes since September, together with its  famend Steamed Pork Mince with Anchovies, King of Stir-fried with Stir-fried Garlic Chive with  Prawns and Dried Scallop Egg White Fried Rice, Braised Curry Beef Brisket with Potato and and so forth,  whereas from the second half of 2025 onwards, Ming Court will launch its modern fusion  delicacies in Business Class, that includes dishes equivalent to Pork Rib Trio Onion, Baked, Wagyu Beef Cheek,  15-year Aged Dried Tangerine Peel, Braised. Paired with the airline’s signature “Bauhinia  Blossom” welcome drink, desserts, and native model goodies, the general eating expertise has  been elevated. In parallel, Corelle’s eco-friendly, light-weight, and sturdy tableware has additionally  been launched to Business Class, reflecting the airline’s dedication to inexperienced and  sustainability.

Meanwhile, to embody its “Very Hong Kong” model positioning, the airline gives economic system class  passengers a style of Hong Kong’s distinctive specialties equivalent to “Rice with Two Sides (This This  Rice)” and Nestle ice cream on chosen routes, making inflight eating a pleasure of the journey.

Furthermore, this yr, the airline has prioritised the restoration of in-flight leisure  techniques on a number of A330 plane, with a few of them introducing wi-fi streaming expertise,  permitting passengers to entry and luxuriate in a variety of content material utilizing their private cellular  units. The airline targets to completely restore full service by 2025.

Additionally, Hong Kong Airlines has reopened its VIP lounge Club Autus since 2023. Located at  the Hong Kong International Airport’s midfield concourse, Club Autus is the one lounge that  gives unique lounge providers, together with therapeutic massage chairs, and conventional Hong Kong-style  delicacies equivalent to cart noodles, egg tarts and congee, to make passengers’ journey expertise extra enjoyable and pleasurable.

18th Anniversary Special Offer 

To have fun its 18th anniversary, Hong Kong Airlines will launch a year-round improve service  from 28 November for passengers flying on their birthday with upgrades all through their  journey. Passengers flying with Hong Kong Airlines on their birthday can get pleasure from buy-one-get-one free upgrades, precedence boarding, complimentary lounge entry, and birthday shock items.  Children aged 3-11 who accumulate a sure variety of flights can be invited to go to the Hong  Kong Airlines Training Academy.