Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific needs to launch more direct flights to 8 mainland Chinese cities newly added to travel scheme: industry leaders

Tommy Tam of the Society of IATA Passenger Agents says Cathay has ‘unshirkable responsibility’ to provide more direct flights to eight new locations

People from Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi not expected to fly more than 10 hours with layovers just to visit the city, lawmaker Jeffrey Lam stresses

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Residents from eight more mainland Chinese cities can apply to visit Hong Kong from Monday without joining a tour group. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 4:00pm, 1 Jun 2024Updated: 8:58pm, 1 Jun 2024

Hong Kong should launch more direct flights to eight mainland Chinese cities recently added to a solo traveller scheme, industry players have said, urging an active response to Beijing’s favourable measures to boost the local economy.

Mainland authorities earlier announced that residents from Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi could apply to visit Hong Kong from Monday without the need to join a tour group. Only four locations have non-stop flights to Hong Kong at present.

Flights to those four cities – Taiyuan, Lanzhou, Yinchuan and Urumqi – operate twice a week. Passengers from Xining and Hohhot need to transfer once before arriving in the city, while those from Harbin and Lhasa have to take up to two connecting flights.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu previously said the Individual Visit Scheme’s expansion was expected to bring about 300,000 extra visitors to Hong Kong and generate up to HK$1.5 billion (US$192 million) in additional revenue each year.

Lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, also a member of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council, said local airlines, including Cathay Pacific Airways, should roll out more new routes and direct passenger services to the eight cities to fully capitalise on Beijing’s goodwill measures.

“Without direct flights, there is no incentive for mainland tourists of these remote cities to come a long way to Hong Kong. You cannot expect them to fly more than 10 hours with layovers at different places just to visit the city,” he said.