Hong Kong Airlines is an all-Airbus operator that flies out of Chek Lap Kok International Airport (HKG) in Hong Kong. A subsidiary of Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines, with whom it shares a similar white, red, and yellow livery, the carrier primarily flies to short-haul Asian destinations. However, it does also serve a handful of destinations located further afield, necessitating a fleet of long-haul aircraft.
Just one widebody design present
According to fleet data made available by ch-aviation, widebody aircraft account for 11 of Hong Kong Airlines’ 30 present planes. All of these are examples of the Airbus
A330-300, with the carrier also favoring Airbus twinjets for its narrowbody operations (16 A320s and three A321s). Hong Kong Airlines’ Airbus A330-300s are 10 years old on average, slightly below the fleet-wide mean figure of 10.9 years old.
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Of the 11 examples of the Airbus A330-300 that Hong Kong Airlines
presently has at its disposal, nine are currently listed by ch-aviation as being active. Meanwhile, of the other two, one (B-LNQ) is in storage at Hong Kong International Airport, while the other (B-LHG) is undergoing maintenance at the same facility. Historically, Hong Kong Airlines has flown another six examples of the A330-300.
The carrier received its Airbus A330-300s in two distinct waves. The first of these, in the mid-2010s, saw two brand-new units come onboard in 2013 followed by a third in 2015, as well as a second-hand example in 2016. More recently, 2023 saw five second-hand arrivals, followed by another two in 2024. Going forward, Hong Kong Airlines is expecting to receive one more A330-300, with ch-aviation listing this particular aircraft as being registered as B-1004, which currently serves Lucky Air.
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Last year, Simple Flying reported that Hong Kong Airlines was looking to grow its long-haul fleet by potentially adding three second-hand aircraft from the 
Boeing
787 ‘Dreamliner’ family, with a view to expanding its North American network. However, as yet, none have arrived at the carrier, although parent company Hainan Airlines does fly both the short-fuselage 787-8 and the mid-sized 787-9.
Previous widebody operations
While Hong Kong Airlines’ sole widebody design in its present fleet is the Airbus A330-300, the carrier has also historically flown two other twin-aisle aircraft types from the multinational European planemaker’s portfolio of commercial aircraft. Among these, according to ch-aviation, were 11 examples of the A330-200, as well as five units of its cargo counterpart, the A330-200F. However, these freighters were gone by 2017, with the last of the passenger A330-200s departing in 2024.
Hong Kong Airlines was also briefly notable for offering the Airbus A350-900, a next-generation clean-sheet widebody that is seen as a key rival to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family. All in all, ch-aviation’s data shows that six examples of these modern twinjets served Hong Kong Airlines, joining the carrier between August 2017 (B-LGA) and November 2018 (B-LGH) to serve, per SeatGuru, its transpacific routes.
However, the Airbus A350-900’s time at Hong Kong Airlines was relatively short-lived, with the first of these aircraft departing the carrier in September 2019. This represented the first of two Airbus A350-900 departures from Hong Kong Airlines that year, with another following in 2020. The penultimate example left the airline’s fleet in October 2021, with B-LGE bringing the story to a close by leaving in 2023.
Limited long-haul operations
While the Airbus A330-300 (and, indeed, the A330 family as a whole) is designed for long-haul operations, current scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Hong Kong Airlines tends to deploy its examples on shorter routes. This is, of course, reflective of its overall network strategy, and the type certainly provides useful extra capacity on its routes within Asia.
Photo: Hong Kong Airlines
However, across the year as a whole, Cirium does list three destinations outside of Asia that Hong Kong Airlines serves with the A330-300. The least frequently served of these is Gold Coast Airport (OOL), which the carrier flew to from its main hub in Hong Kong 15 times each way between January and February this year. According to Gold Coast Airport, these flights ran in connection with the Lunar New Year, and Queensland Airports Limited Chief Executive Officer Amelia Evans explained that:
“This will be our first direct connection to Greater China since 2018. We are hopeful the seasonal service will elevate the Gold Coast as a destination of choice in our key markets of Hong Kong and mainland China, and, if successful, will translate into longer-term services. China has always been a critical visitor market for the Gold Coast and Queensland more broadly, so reconnecting to Hong Kong marks a positive step forward in our international recovery journey.”
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Elsewhere in Australia, Aero Routes noted recently that Hong Kong Airlines would also begin serving Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
(SYD) in the state of New South Wales on June 20th, 2025. These flights will operate daily using the Airbus A330-300, with the Hong Kong – Sydney leg (HX017) being an overnight affair. Meanwhile, the return leg (HX018) will return in the daytime, leaving at 11:30 and landing at 19:15. Overall, Hong Kong Airlines has scheduled 194 round trips on the route in 2025.
Just one North American connection
Hong Kong Airlines’ third and final long-haul route that it operates with its Airbus A330-300 widebody twinjets serves Vancouver International Airport
(YVR) in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Located in the southwest of the country on the Pacific coast, this facility is a key transcontinental gateway for Canadian passengers. As reported by Simple Flying, the airline announced in November of last year that it would be resuming service on this route in January 2025.
The first of these flights eventually took to the skies on January 18th this year, with the resumption marked by considerable fanfare in Hong Kong. As noted by Simple Flying’s coverage of the relaunch, the flights are operating twice a week, with HX80 flying from Hong Kong to Vancouver on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Meanwhile, the return leg (HX81) flies from Vancouver to Hong Kong on Wednesdays and Sundays. Overall, the carrier has scheduled 100 rotations on the route in 2025.
Hong Kong Airlines faces considerable competition on this transpacific route, with Air Canada connecting Hong Kong and Vancouver on a daily basis using its mid-sized Boeing 787-9 ‘Dreamliner’ widebodies. Meanwhile, Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific is also present on the corridor, flying the route more than twice a day on average. Indeed, the 
oneworld
founding member has penciled in 779 flights in each direction this year, split between the A350-900 and the 777-300ER.
303 seats on the highest-capacity layout
According to current fleet data made available by aeroLOPA, Hong Kong Airlines has three different seating configurations present onboard its Airbus A330-300 widebodies. The highest-capacity layout of these has space for 303 guests onboard, with the best seats in the house being the 24 Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats in business class. These flatbeds are laid out four abreast in a 1-2-1 setup, with the outer seats facing the windows, and the inner pairs facing inwards.
This cabin occupies the entirety of the real estate between the aircraft’s first and second doors, with the remaining space behind the latter of these used to house the plane’s 279 economy class seats. These are laid out eight abreast in a 2-4-2 setup, which is standard for most A330 operators (although some low-cost users prefer a 3-3-3 configuration). The layout narrows to 2-3-2 in the final few rows.
Most of Hong Kong Airlines’ A330s have 292 seats
The 303-seat configuration is relatively rare at Hong Kong Airlines, with data from ch-aviation showing that it has been fitted to just two aircraft. Contrastingly, eight examples of the carrier’s Airbus A330-300s have a 292-seat layout, with business class in this setup consisting of 32 Stelia Solstys seats. These flatbeds are configured in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, with even rows having true window seats.
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Meanwhile, couples traveling together should aim for odd-numbered rows, as the middle pairs here are properly next to each other, as opposed to being divided by the seat structure as is the case in even rows. Once again, economy class is located entirely behind the aircraft’s second door, and laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration apart from the last few rows. This section consists of 260 seats in total.
Just one 285-seat example
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Airlines’ 11th and final example of the Airbus A330-300 has a 285-seat layout that is unique among the carrier’s widebodies. Featured on B-LNR, a 15-year-old A330 that joined the airline from Singapore Airlines in July 2016, its business class cabin features 30 seats in a less favorable six-abreast (2-2-2) configuration, with window seats suffering from a lack of direct aisle access.
Meanwhile, the economy class cabin onboard this aircraft consists of 255 seats in the standard 2-4-2 configuration. According to tracking data made available by Flightradar24, Hong Kong Airlines typically deploys this particular aircraft on routes within Asia, so long-haul passengers needn’t worry about its less favorable business class configuration. Indeed, recent destinations served by B-LNR include the likes of Bangkok, Fukuoka, Osaka, and Taipei, all of which are short-haul routes.
