Hong Kong Airlines has made its inaugural first daily direct service to Auckland, New Zealand.
The Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 283 seats, including 24 business class seats was deployed on the route. To commemorate the official launch of this new route, Hong Kong Airlines held celebration events at Hong Kong International Airport and Auckland Airport.
Li Dianchun, Chief Commercial Officer of Hong Kong Airlines, hosted an additional group of guests from Hong Kong to Auckland, in order to witness this important moment for the internationally acclaimed airline.
“We are delighted with the successful launch of this much-anticipated new route in Auckland, New Zealand,” Li Dianchun said.
“So far, we have received an overwhelming response from travellers since tickets became available for purchase.
“As a result, we have already increased our service to 10 times weekly from 11th December 2016 to 13th February 2017. We expect New Zealand will become a popular destination with our travellers who would like to enjoy the stunning beauty of this country.
“We also anticipate strong demand out of the New Zealand market to Hong Kong and connecting on our network in Asia. We hope that our new route will further strengthen the cultural, tourism and business ties between these two countries.
“With the success of our service to Australia earlier this year, Hong Kong Airlines is more than delighted to announce this second long haul service, operating daily to Auckland, New Zealand.
“There has been a steady increase year on year in the number of Hong Kong and China travellers visiting New Zealand. According to official figures by New Zealand Government1, as of September 2016, the total number of visitors from Hong Kong and China has recorded a rise of 18.8% and 23.7% respectively.
“Leveraging on our connectivity in Asia via the international hub Hong Kong, we believe this Hong Kong Airlines new service to Auckland will be welcomed by passengers from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Okinawa, Tokyo, Bangkok and Taipei, offering them more travel options,” he said.