Hong Kong travellers have even more reason to take to the skies as local and international airlines are introducing more non-stop, intercontinental routes.
New destinations in Europe and the Pacific are just a flight away from Hong Kong International Airport, offering passengers reduced travelling time. The islands of Fiji, the Russian capital Moscow, and the fashion and banking capital of Italy, Milan, are the three major destinations expanding the map.
Starting on June 30, Hong Kong Airlines will commence services to Moscow, to be followed a fortnight later by Cathay Pacific, which is already flying its new route to Milan four times a week.
But the most innovative addition took place at the end of last year, when Air Pacific - Fiji's flag carrier - bridged the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea with its twice-weekly 10-hour flights. Previously, passengers had to make a dogleg via New Zealand or Australia, often involving lengthy transit times.
Air Pacific cut flights to Japan to add Hong Kong to its schedule. 'Our flights between Fiji and Tokyo have experienced declining demand in recent years, during which time Air Pacific incurred losses totalling millions of dollars,' says Dave Pflieger, Air Pacific's managing director and CEO. 'The route relied on Japanese-origin travellers, with 85 per cent of total carriage originating from the Japanese market. Demand declined as economic circumstances in Japan impinged on long-haul flights and vacations, and Japanese travellers turned to closer, shorter duration holidays.'
But Japan's loss is Hong Kong's gain, as it gives travellers direct access to one of the most idyllic holiday destinations in the Pacific Ocean.
