The carrier became the first operator from Hong Kong to serve both Beijing international airports.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong Airlines celebrated the launch of its second route to Beijing. The carrier now offers a four-times-a-week flight connecting Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and the Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX). It employed an Airbus A320ceo aircraft, registration B-LPI for this service.
The new route to Beijing Daxing was the first new service launched by Hong Kong Airlines since the start of the pandemic. This inaugural flight marked a significant milestone for the carrier as it made it the first airline from Hong Kong to operate service to Daxing International and also serve both international airports in Beijing.
In his opening remarks, Hou Wei, Hong Kong Airlines Chairman, said that the carrier is honored to be the first airline from the island to offer services to Daxing. “Opening this route will further strengthen the Company’s' market position in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region,” he added.
The new service will be operated four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flight HX308 departs from Hong Kong at 09:35, landing in Beijing at 12:55. The return service, HX309, departs from Beijing at 13:55, landing at 17:35.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong Airlines operated the flight with an Airbus A320ceo. This plane, registration B-LPI, is a ten years old aircraft that has operated flights for Hong Kong Airlines since 2013. It has the capacity to carry 152 passengers in a two-class configuration (144 in economy and eight in business).
Hong Kong Airlines was encouraged by today’s flight, according to Hou Wei. The airline achieved a 90% load factor performance on the service. Per Cirium’s database, there are around 52 weekly flights currently between Beijing airports and Hong Kong. These flights are operated by Air China, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, Hong Kong Airlines, and China Eastern.
Hou Wei added that the company will gradually increase its service between Hong Kong and Beijing Capital Airport from the current once-a-day to two or three flights a day. This will provide customers with highly flexible travel options.
Following the lifting of travel restrictions in China and Hong Kong, the airline has been adjusting its network strategies to accelerate the resumption of regional flights.
In a statement, Hong Kong Airlines said it expects to increase flight operations to 44 sectors per day by April 2023, reaching 45% of those at the pre-pandemic levels. It will fly to 18 regional destinations, including Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Manila, Hanoi, Bali, Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai Pudong, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, and Haikou.
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In addition, the Company is also launching a new direct service to Fukuoka in April to expand its regional network further. Additionally, more flights will be added in the summer to cope with peak season demand.
Hong Kong Airlines currently operates a fleet of 30 aircraft, according to data from ch-aviation. It has 12 Airbus A320ceos, ten A330-200s, seven A330-300s, and one A350-900.
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Lead Journalist – South America – Daniel comes to Simple Flying with many years of aviation journalism experience, having worked with Mexican publication A21, Roads & Kingdoms, El Economista and more. His degree in journalism allows him to form beautifully crafted and insightful pieces. His specialist knowledge of Latin American airlines and close relationship with the likes of Aeromexico, Avianca, Volaris brings depth to our coverage in the region. Based in Mexico City, Mexico.