Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways hopes to launch at least one daily flight each to two cities in mainland China’s Hainan province, the airline’s CEO has said, but did not give a timeline for the plan.
Ronald Lam Siu-por raised the possibility on Saturday on a trip to the island province, organised by Beijing’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong.
“Cathay Pacific currently has four flights a week to Haikou, while HK Express will have four flights to Sanya every week – this is only the beginning,” he said.
“In the future, we hope to have at least one flight flying to each of these cities every day, perhaps covering even more cities.”
Others involved in the five-day trip to Hainan that kicked off on Monday included representatives from consulates in Hong Kong, the heads of foreign business chambers and senior managers from multinational companies.
Cui Jianchun, the commissioner of the foreign ministry’s office in Hong Kong, said the trip was designed to help people explore new opportunities for cooperation with Hainan.
Lam said Cathay’s air travel business was developing in line with company expectations and that demand for long-haul flights was “very strong”.
“The performance of our long-haul routes is very good and we are also seeing more intense competition for short-haul routes,” he added.
“A lot of local and foreign airlines have increased flights for short-haul routes. We can see there is a certain amount of pressure in terms of airfares.”
Lam Sai-hung, Hong Kong’s transport minister, told the Post earlier this week that authorities “won’t solely rely on Cathay” to restart or expand aviation services and were looking to other airlines for help.
The city’s flag carrier has struggled with staff shortages and recently shifted its target to reach pre-pandemic capacity from the end of this year to the first quarter of 2025.
The move sparked concerns about Cathay’s capabilities as Hong Kong airport prepares to commission its third runway by the end of this year.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has also appealed to the airline to boost its service quality and expand its network.
