Latest news with #HongKongAirlines
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Airlines to open routes to Urumqi, Melbourne after overcoming debt woes
Hong Kong Airlines will launch flights to Urumqi in far western China in August and to Melbourne later, after making an ambitious comeback from a debt crisis three years ago and recording a 60 per cent year-on-year rise in passenger numbers in 2024. Advertisement In an exclusive interview with the Post, airline president Jeff Sun Jianfeng said the airline, once struggling with losses and debts, had returned to profitability in 2023 after Hong Kong opened up to post-Covid international travel. He also noted that its ridership had hit 5 million last year, up 60 per cent from 2023. 'Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong Airlines was actually doing quite well, with many travellers already having a fondness for and awareness of our brand,' he said. 'During the pandemic, Hong Kong Airlines underwent a significant restructuring. After that, we made a comeback to kick-start our recovery journey. Advertisement 'With our continuous network expansion, including key long-haul routes to Vancouver and Sydney this year, we've already returned as a global full-service airline.'
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Airlines to expand pet-in-cabin service, with bookings full till November
Hong Kong Airlines is looking to expand a newly launched service that allows passengers to bring their pets into cabins to more destinations, as strong demand has led to bookings being filled until mid-November. Advertisement In an exclusive interview with the Post earlier this week, the carrier's president Jeff Sun Jianfeng revealed plans to expand its pet-in-cabin service, as well as to introduce new family-friendly products that would benefit toddlers, children and the elderly, in a bid to woo customers as an 'all-accommodating' airline in Hong Kong. 'We've been brewing with this pet-friendly service idea for a long time as a lot of pet lovers treat their furry companions as family members and cannot bear to part with them when going overseas,' he said. 'When we upgrade our services, we strive to satisfy our customers in all aspects. With this in mind, we pushed for this pet-in-cabin product as the first and only such home-based service in Hong Kong. 'This also further strengthens Hong Kong Airlines as an animal-friendly carrier.' Advertisement The new service, launched in February and currently only available on flights to Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, costs HK$8,800 (US$1,120) per pet, on top of the owner's airfare, and allows passengers to bring dogs and cats into the cabin, provided they keep the animals under the seat in front of them.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Reputation of Hong Kong airport grows with facilities
After years with large areas shrouded in construction work, Hong Kong International Airport is just months away from opening a revamped second terminal that will hopefully help lift the city's status as a global aviation hub. Terminal 2 will open in stages from September, starting with the debut of a reconfigured hall that offers 41 parking spaces for cars, tour buses and coaches. The hall will host existing services all under the one roof, and will go into service just before the National Day 'golden week' holiday begins on the mainland. Airport Authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Monday that some carriers, such as Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express, would be relocated to the second terminal in March next year. Check-in and departure services would be introduced early in the second quarter of next year, before a new concourse and facilities for arrivals were completed in 2027. The work is part of the airport's HK$141.5 billion expansion project that began in 2016, and the launch of a third runway last year was hailed as a 'game-changer' for aviation ambitions. Many cities the size of Hong Kong have had to build more than one airport, therefore it is heartening to see developments here keeping ahead of the expected growth in demand. Airlines are even being urged to put on more flights to take advantage of the increased capacity. Expansion, however, will require hard work. Last year, the airport handled 53.1 million passengers, 34.3 per cent more than in 2023. The level was still only 71 per cent of what it was in 2018 before the pandemic. Greater efficiency is a good start in the task of attracting travellers. Division of labour is planned for the two terminals. The new one will eventually be home to about 10 to 20 airlines and handling point-to-point flights and regional trips. Terminal 1 will serve airlines flying long-haul routes and operating morning flights. The airport already boasts strategic advantages thanks to nearby exhibition and tourism attractions as well as solid links to the mainland. With the new airport envisioned as becoming 'the landmark of Asia', the imminent arrival of more facilities is a welcome sign that the city is ready to soar back to its rightful place as a world-leading aviation centre.
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong airport's Terminal 2 to open in stages from September
Hong Kong airport's new second terminal will open in stages from September, starting with the debut of a coach hall, as part of the city's efforts to up its game as an international aviation hub. Advertisement The Airport Authority said on Monday that the first phase would involve the launch of the terminal's coach hall – a covered area with 41 parking spaces for limousines, tour buses and resident and cross-boundary coaches. The move means all such existing services will be relocated under the same roof. Vivian Cheung Kar-fay, the authority's CEO, said that some carriers, such as Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express, would be relocated to the second terminal in March of next year. The site's terminal concourse and new arrival services are set to launch in 2027, she added. Advertisement 'Terminal 2 will have airlines serving point-to-point destinations, so they are more about regional services,' said Cheung, who was promoted to CEO in April after previously serving in an acting leadership position.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Travellers avoid trips to Japan over viral comic book's quake prediction
By K. Oanh Ha, Yui Hasebe and Audrey Wan (Bloomberg) – Holiday bookings to Japan from key Asian markets have plunged ahead of the busy summer season. The cause: Rumours of an impending earthquake prophesied in a manga graphic novel. Social media and viral posts have unsettled travellers and renewed attention to manga artist Ryo Tatsuki's prediction of a huge earthquake that would inundate Japan with tsunami waves. Tatsuki, whom some claim predicted Japan's 2011 earthquake, gives July 2025 as the date of the impending event in a graphic novel that was first published back in 1999. The manga was republished in 2021 with additional content and the quake speculation has gotten new life on social media recently, with YouTube videos and Facebook posts that warn people of travelling to Japan attracting millions of views. Though scientists say the exact timing of earthquakes can't be predicted, airline bookings from Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong have dropped since April – with bookings from the latter plunging by an average of 50% versus a year ago, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence analysis of ForwardKeys data. Weekly arrival bookings for late June to early July from the Asian financial hub have also nosedived by as much as 83%. Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines have both scaled back some flights to Japan this month as officials implore the general public not to give stock to the rumours. Yoshihiro Murai, the governor of Miyagi prefecture, said last month the rumours were starting to affect tourism and asked people to not take the speculation seriously. Japan's Meteorological Agency's website reminded people that current science can't predict tremors with any high accuracy. Japan's location in the so-called Ring of Fire, a region of heightened tectonic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean, makes it one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. Japan's last major earthquake was in 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear disaster in Fukushima. Even so, overall tourism to Japan remains buoyant. In April, Japan recorded a record-breaking 3.9 million foreign visitors, lured by the cheap yen. 'The quake speculations are definitely having a negative impact on Japan tourism and it will slow the boom temporarily,' said Eric Zhu, Bloomberg Intelligence's analyst for aviation and defence. 'Travellers are taking a risk-adverse approach given the plethora of other short-haul options in the region.' Zhu expects more airlines to feel some pain over the next few months based on current booking patterns and anticipated flight loads. Cathay Pacific Airways may be particularly at risk given its high exposure to the Japanese tourism market. The group, which includes Hong Kong Express, is planning to devote nearly a fifth of its scheduled seats to Japan through the fall, making it the largest international market for the airlines, Zhu said in a note. Tatsuki's work – The Future I Saw – is based on a dream in which a tsunami inundates the Japanese archipelago and impacts Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. The rumours have also been fuelled by a prominent Hong Kong feng shui master who doles out predictions to a large online following and urged holiday seekers to avoid Japan. Others have seized on a February report by a Japanese government earthquake task force that's long monitored seismic activity along the Nankai Trough and that's raised the risk of a mega earthquake that could trigger 100-foot tsunamis within the next 30 years to around 80%. For her part, Tatsuki, now retired and still living in Japan, said the high level of interest reflects the growing awareness of disaster preparedness. 'I, myself, would like to take precautions such as stockpiling supplies in preparation for disasters and confirming evacuation routes when going out,' she said in a statement to Bloomberg. 'I intend to remain vigilant on a daily basis as we approach July 2025.' More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
