Hong Kong Airlines’ strategy is shifting. The carrier is expanding its network and has recently announced plans to launch flights to Vancouver International Airport, direct from its Hong Kong International Airport base. This would see it become a truly global carrier, moving towards becoming a direct competitor to Cathay Pacific that largely controls the Hong Kong market. Once the Vancouver service is launched, plans to expand in North America are also on the horizon. This includes services to the United States, which it has already hinted its interest for.
Vancouver in January
In a statement, the carrier announced that it would be resuming its long-haul operations with initial service to Vancouver beginning on January 18.
“This strategic move signifies the airline’s transformation from a regional carrier into an international airline, with a focus on expanding its global route network amid the economic recovery,”
Services are not completely open for booking just yet, but the flight will operate twice-weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays (outbound). It will use its fleet of Airbus A330s to service the route.
“Through strategic planning, the airline has demonstrated a strong recovery capability by optimising its route network and adjusting its fleet structure, which now covers more than 30 destinations.”
The Hong Kong (HKG) to Vancouver (YVR) sector is currently well-served, with up to three daily flights on offer at the moment thanks to a double-daily operation with Cathay Pacific, and once a day with Air Canada.
Simple Flying Route Analyst, Dr. James Pearson, notes that in the 12 months ended July 2024, 248,000 roundtrip passengers traveled between the two cities.
Photo: Wenjie Zheng | Shutterstock
International growth
Hong Kong Airlines’ new strategy is contingent on continued growth all-round. It says that it has hired more than 600 new staff this year. Current employee figures include 300 pilots and 900 cabin crew, with other roles such as ground handlers and technical staff to see a 60% increase in numbers. The same increase is also expected for pilot numbers, a necessary precursor to additional growth in terms of the network and fleet.
Most recently, Hong Kong Airlines has been boosting frequencies on flights this December citing “strong demand” during the Christmas and New Year periods. It hopes to up flights to Seoul, Tokyo and Sapporo, with a new route to Sendai launching on December 18.
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On the long-haul front, Hong Kong Airlines will be resuming its route to the Gold Coast. The four-weekly flight will connect HKG with Gold Coast Airport (OOL) as of January 17, 2025.
Photo: Airbus
As for the United States, Hong Kong Airlines has previously hinted at flights to Los Angeles, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver, beginning next year as well. That being said, fleet expansion is necessary to facilitate such growth. Booking data for the period ended July 2024 shows the top US markets for flights from Hong Kong included San Francisco, New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX) and Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD) and Seattle (SEA) in order. Chairman Yan Bo told SCMP:
“We will develop our full service operation in full gear with the resumption of our American routes under consideration.”
While the airline has said that it is searching for used Boeing 787s to revive its long-haul network, for the time being it seems that that has not produced any results as the Vancouver flight will begin with its Airbus widebodies.
According to ch-aviation data, it has 10 Airbus A330-300s in its fleet, of which six are listed as active. Two are in maintenance and two are listed as stored at HKG.
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