Airlines welcome Hong Kong - Australia Air Services Agreement

Airlines today welcomed the decision by the Governments of Australia and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to increase capacity between Australia and Hong Kong, and to link Hong Kong services to London.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Geoff Dixon, said the new arrangements would allow Qantas to look at developing Hong Kong as a transit and stop-over point as well as a destination in its own right.

He said the additional capacity meant Qantas could look at developing new services to London via Hong Kong, as well as additional services between Australia and Hong Kong. 

"Under the new arrangements, Qantas has the potential to offer four Hong Kong-London flights immediately, increasing to seven flights a week in 2006.

"Hong Kong is an important market for Qantas. We have been flying to Hong Kong since 1949, and currently operate 28 services a week from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Hong Kong, with Australian Airlines also flying three Cairns-Hong Kong services a week.

"The additional capacity available, which represents a doubling of capacity in 2006, will allow us to look at a range of competitive opportunities to promote air travel to Hong Kong and beyond," Mr Dixon said.

Hong Kong based Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said, "This is good for Hong Kong as an aviation hub and for the travelling public, offering greater choice on routes between Hong Kong and Australia where there is still demand in the market," said Mr. Hui.

"The agreement also opens the way for Dragonair to begin services to Australia," he explained. "We have the licence and following with today's agreement, the access and designation.".