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Hong Kong Airlines’ first Australian service to Gold Coast and Cairns touches down

written by australianaviation.com.au | January 12, 2016

A333 BLNQ CRK CNS 09JAN2016 2 Andrew Belczacki
Hong Kong Airlines A330-300 B-LNQ flies into Cairns on January 9. (Andrew Belczacki)

Hong Kong Airlines operated its inaugural Hong-Kong-Gold Coast-Cairns-Hong Kong service on the weekend.

The new thrice-weekly extended season of charter flights will operate through until March including the Chinese New Year period, the peak travel season for the Chinese market. The flights depart Hong Kong for the Gold Coast on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, returning to Hong Kong via Cairns the following Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.

“We are delighted with the successful launch of this much-anticipated new Australian route. So far, we have received an overwhelming response among travellers since tickets became available for purchase,” Li Dianchun, commercial director of Hong Kong Airlines, said in a statement.

The Hong Kong-based full service airline is using Airbus A330-300s which are configured with 32 business class and 260 economy class seats for its Australian flights.

“Over just 12 weeks, these services will inject more than $10 million into the local economy,” Gold Coast Tourism chief executive officer Martin Winter said in a statement.

Hong Kong Airlines is currently restricted to secondary Australian destinations such as the Gold Coast, Cairns and Darwin as Cathay Pacific has utilised all available traffic rights for Hong Kong-based carriers to the four major Australian ports of Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney under the current bilateral air services agreements between the two countries.

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Comments (8)

  • Alan

    says:

    How lovely. And remind us why JQ can not operate out of HKG?

  • Kim Harrold

    says:

    Hainan has the same livery as Hong Kong Airlines.
    What is the connection?

  • Aussie Expat in HK

    says:

    Because JQ was a foreign owned and operated company that was trying to set up in HK as a operating base- the Hk gov and CAD haven’t stopped JQ requesting to operates routes FROM Australia to HK, they’ve just said that operations of a foreign owned/operated company out of HK is not approved. Good on them for protecting their local industry, something Australia should be doing more.

    How an earth can Emirates sell tickets between Nz and Australia when they are not associated by either country. If qantas wanted to fly between Qatar and UAE, it wouldn’t be approved because not home airline of those countries.

  • Ex Qantas apprentice, LAME and F/Eng

    says:

    Is this Airline a natural progression of the old Pure Cargo set up in the late 80’s – Air Hong Kong. I operated 707 and 747 with AHK

  • Tim O'Grady

    says:

    Aussie Expat in HK, I’m afraid your statement is incorrect. QF would be allowed to operate and sell tickets between DXB and DOH if it so wished in exactly the same way as CX does between DXB and BAH vv.

    Kim Harold, Hainan Airlines own Hong Kong Airlines hence same livery.

  • carter

    says:

    JQ cant set up in HK simply bcos no other overseas carriers are allowed to do the same here in Australia.

  • David Fix

    says:

    I hope this airline starts services to Sydney I really love the .

  • scar82

    says:

    Great airline with a great service. Was really impressed with cabin crew performance and work ethic.

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