Hong Kong Airlines is set to launch a direct service between Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia, creating competition on the two incumbent carriers already serving the city pair, Qantas and Cathay Pacific. The airline has secured traffic rights for the route and will announce further schedule details later this year.
Hong Kong International Airport
IATA/ICAO CodeHKG/VHHHIATA CodeHKGICAO CodeVHHHCityHong Kong
This month, Hong Kong Airlines will debut at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), the busiest airport in the country. With an expansion of bilateral air traffic rights, the airline plans to continue its expansion down under.
Hong Kong Airlines To Melbourne
Increased competition on the Hong Kong to Melbourne corridor has long been dominated by Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and it is expected that Melbourne will be served by HX with its fleet of Airbus A330s, of which it has 11. The aircraft, which are configured with a two-class layout, can cater for between 285 and 303 passengers across business and economy class.
The airline’s president, Jeff Sun, has signalled that the airline may look to expand its fleet to support the continued international expansion. Current long-haul routes already on offer by HX from its home in Hong Kong include those to Sydney and Vancouver, with seasonal services to the Gold Coast and Male. Melbourne would mark the third Australian destination.
“Overall, we are seeking to be Hongkongers’ best-loved airline, with our operational quality and service quality being constantly improved.”
Competition On Home Ground For Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong Airlines was founded in 2006 as an alternative to Cathay Pacific. The airline is a subsidiary of the HNA Group, China’s fourth-largest aviation group, which includes (but is not limited to) Hainan Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, West Air, Capital Airlines, Grand China Air, GX Airlines, Fuzhou Airlines, and Hong Kong Airlines Cargo. Passengers onboard the HX A330 will note that the interior amenities are modest, such as no USB ports, and smaller than usual IFE screens. Business class travelers feature lie-flat business class seats.
The airline’s launch to Melbourne will mark the first time a new international carrier has debuted on the Melbourne to Hong Kong route since Virgin Australia axed short-lived direct service between 2018 and 2020. For Australians, those part of the Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flier programme, they can enjoy the perks on HX flights, such as priority boarding and additional baggage allowances. It’s worth noting that lounge access and points redemption are not permitted. A snapshot of the current operations with CX and QF on the HKG-MEL city pair is shown below.
| Airline | From | To | Aircraft type | Operations per week | Seats per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Pacific (CX) | Hong Kong | Melbourne | Airbus A350-900 | 7 | 1,960 |
| Cathay Pacific (CX) | Hong Kong | Melbourne | Boeing 777-300ER | 12 | 4,046 |
| Qantas (QF) | Hong Kong | Melbourne | Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 255 |
| Qantas (QF) | Hong Kong | Melbourne | Airbus A330-300 | 6 | 1,782 |
Once scheduled, the Hong Kong Airlines direct service from HKG to MEL should take around nine hours, five minutes southbound, or nine hours and 20 minutes on the return journey to Hong Kong.
What Long-Haul Aircraft Does Hong Kong Airlines Operate?
A closer look at the carrier’s small but mighty widebody fleet.
Hong Kong Airlines’ International Network
Hong Kong Airlines currently has three aircraft types in its fleet to support its short- and long-haul network. Currently, the airline has 17 Airbus A320-200, three Airbus A321-200, and eleven Airbus A330-300. From Hong Kong International Airport the carrier operates a robust network to Mainland China, with destinations including Beijing–Capital, Beijing–Daxing, Chengdu–Tianfu, Chongqing, Haikou, Hailar, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Sanya, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Xining (Seasonal), and Dunhuang (Charter).
The airline has an extensive network of direct services to Japan, including Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagoya–Centrair, Naha (Okinawa), Osaka–Kansai, Sapporo–Chitose, and Tokyo–Narita. Other Asian destinations include Seoul–Incheon, Taipei–Taoyuan, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Da Nang, Denpasar, Phuket, and Malé (Seasonal). Its remaining international services include those to Sydney, the Gold Coast, Vancouver, and occasional charter services to the country of Palau (Koror).
Once the airlines direct link to Melbourne eventuates, this will become the Victorian airport’s tenth airline operating direct services to China and Hong Kong overall, after Air China (Beijing), Beijing Capital Airlines (Hangzhou and Qingdao), Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong), China Eastern Airlines (Nanjing and Shanghai Pudong), China Southern (Guangzhou and Beijing Daxing (seasonal)), Hainan Airlines (Haikou), Qantas (Hong Kong), Sichuan Airlines (Chendgu-Tianfu), and XiamenAir (Xiamen).
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