HK Express (UO, Hong Kong International) has pulled the last of its A321-200s out of the Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage (APAS) long-term storage facility at Alice Springs. The low-cost subsidiary of Cathay Pacific had 10 of the jets parked in the Australian desert but began the process of returning them to Hong Kong in September.
According to ADS-B flight tracking data, the exit process began on September 6 when B-LEF (msn 07831) left Alice Springs for Hong Kong via Darwin. B-LED (msn 07729) followed on September 13. Three more A321s returned to Hong Kong in October, with B-LEB (msn 07403) departing Alice Spring on October 5, B-LEL (msn 08410) on October 11, and B-LEK (msn 08347) on October 18.
More recently, the last five A321-200s left the desert. On November 8, B-LEC (msn 07596) exited Alice Springs. On November 16, B-LEE (msn 07821) and B-LEH (msn 07929) returned to Hong Kong. B-LEI (msn 07969) left Alice Springs on November 22. The final aircraft, B-LEF (msn 08163) went back to Hong Kong on November 25. All of the ferry flights went via Darwin.
Earlier in the pandemic, Cathay Pacific Group sent scores of aircraft from its various airline brands down to Alice Springs, including HK Express A320-200s and A321-200s. All five of the A320s had earlier returned to Hong Kong and are now flying scheduled services. The ten A321s plus another that has been in Hong Kong for some time, B-LEG (msn 07872), are still classed as inactive.
According to ch-aviation PRO airlines data, HK Express is now flying to 14 destinations in seven countries and territories. Half of the airline’s 26-strong fleet of planes are now operating. At a November 25 analyst briefing, the group indicated that HK Express would return to pre-pandemic flying levels by March 2023.
Editorial Comment: In a previous version of the article, we incorrectly referred to HK Express by its old Hong Kong Express name. – 22.03.2023 – 07:29 UTC
The chief executive of Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International) has said he hopes to have all of his parked aircraft in the air by the start of 2024. Ronald Lam told Bloomberg TV this week that the airline was steadily returning aircraft to service so that it aims to operate 70% of its pre-pandemic passenger capacity by the end of this year, and 100% by the end of 2024.
“At the end of 2022, we had 222 aircraft in our fleet, and around 20% of them were parked outside of Hong Kong,” he said. “We’ve been steadily unparking them this year and hopefully, by early next year, all the aircraft will be unparked.”
ch-aviation fleets advanced data shows that Cathay Pacific has 67 inactive aircraft, with 11 of these out of service for maintenance reasons. The remaining 56 are stored at Hong Kong, Alice Springs, Ciudad Real, and Xiamen.
The data reveals that three A320-200s, two A321-200s, nine A330-300s, eleven B777-300s, and eleven B777-300(ER)s are…
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has lifted a two year old requirement for Hong Kong-based airlines to file their US schedules at least 30 days in advance. The DOT imposed the requirement in March 2021 in response to draconian quarantine rules in Hong Kong which were adversely impacting US-based airlines flying there.
The DOT requirement, which flagged Cathay Pacific, HK Express, and Hong Kong Airlines, in reality only affected Cathay Pacific as it was the only Hong Kong-based carrier to fly to the US. The rule forced the airline to disclose current US-bound passenger, combi, and all-cargo services at least 30 days out. The advance notice would give the DOT time to review the flights to ensure that they did not breach the air services agreements or or otherwise adversely impact the public interest. Before that, Cathay Pacific was not required to seek specific approval for their US flight schedules.
“We took that action in response to the actions of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic…
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has threatened retaliatory action as Japan continues its restrictions on flights from Hong Kong into mid-February, causing Cathay Pacific and HK Express to cancel another tranche of flights.
Speaking on Hong Kong radio on January 21, 2023, HKSAR transport and logistics secretary Lam Sai-hung said he believed Japan would lift the restrictions sometime in February, in time for the peak Easter travel period. However, if Japan did not, Lam threatened “countermeasures”. The restrictions limit airlines to flying into specified airports and asks them not to add additional capacity.
Japan implemented the flight restrictions in late December following fresh waves of Covid-19 in mainland China and that country’s lifting of travel restrictions. Seven airlines, including Cathay Pacific, HK Express, Hong Kong Airlines, Greater Bay Airlines, ANA – All Nippon Airways, JAL – Japan Airlines, and Peach Aviation operate scheduled passenger flights on the country pair. The dominant airline in the market, Cathay Pacific, promptly trimmed its January Japan flights by 20% and the HKSAR…
HK Express (UO, Hong Kong International) is to conduct a “corporate identity” rebranding, which will extend to new aircraft livery, with the airline’s first A321-200N, now scheduled to arrive towards the end of 1H 2023, becoming the first aircraft to be painted in the new look.
Launching the rebrand in Hong Kong on January 11, HK Express CEO Mandy Ng confirmed the airline’s first A321neo would arrive within the next six months. HK Express has 16 of the type on order, due between 2023 and 2025, with each plane able to seat 230 passengers. The airline, which presently flies to 26 destinations in eight countries, operates a fleet of 26 Airbus narrowbodies, including five A320-200s, ten A320-200Ns, and eleven A321-200s. Though coy on specific delivery dates, HK Express said its A321neo would be delivered progressively across the three years, with three set to enter service this year.
Badly impacted by the pandemic and local border closures, Ng says the resurgence in demand since Hong Kong’s border reopening in December has…
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