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Harvey Kong

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.
China aims to develop Hainan into the world’s biggest free-trade port, with an independent customs regime set up by the end of next year.
China aims to develop Hainan into the world’s biggest free-trade port, with an independent customs regime set up by the end of next year.
The tropical island is about the size of Taiwan and wants to attract business and individual investors through reduced taxes and relaxed visa regulations.
China’s National Immigration Administration in February expanded its visa-free policy to allow passport holders from 59 countries to enter Hainan for business, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions and sporting events, as well as for tourism, for up to 30 days without a visa.
Beijing hopes to turn Hainan into an offshore finance and duty-free shopping centre, in a bid to bring it up to par with Hong Kong and Singapore.

Andrew Yuen Chi-lok, director of policy research and knowledge transfer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s aviation policy and research centre, said that Cathay Pacific Airways, as a premium airline, placed significant importance on business travellers.
Yuen said the announcement of the Hainan free-trade port plan meant that it has emerged as one of the fastest growing provinces for foreign direct investment and that its duty-free allowance policy also attracted tourists.
“Given the increasing demand from both business travellers and tourists, Hainan presents an attractive opportunity for Cathay Pacific,” he added.
But Yuen said that Cathay’s staff shortages remained a major barrier to the flag carrier’s recovery.
He added that more competitive salary packages could help attract foreign pilots in the short term, although a priority on city hiring and top-notch training programmes would be essential to ensure long-term sustainability for the airline’s staffing.
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.


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Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific eyes prospect of daily flights to 2 Hainan cities, CEO says

Tourists take to the beach on mainland China’s island province of Hainan. Photo: Xinhua

Cathay CEO Ronald Lam has raised the prospect of an increase in the number of flights to mainland China’s Hainan province. Photo: Dickson Lee

‘We won’t solely rely on Cathay,’ Hong Kong’s transport chief says as airport capacity increases

Hong Kong’s flag carrier is being urged to aim high to help the airport make the most of its new third runway. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung says the city cannot afford to wait for Cathay to get back to pre-pandemic heights and other airlines are being lobbied to boost use of the city’s airport. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific should improve service, tap belt and road potential: Paul Chan

Cathay Pacific will buy back the last of the preference shares the government owns. Photo: Elson Li

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Chan says Cathay’s ability to fully take back preference shares marks the “steady return of Hong Kong’s aviation industry to full normality”. Photo: May Tse

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

Airline CEO Ronald Lam mentions plan for mainland Chinese cities of Haikou and Sanya during trip to province, but holds off on timeline


Airline CEO Ronald Lam mentions plan for mainland Chinese cities of Haikou and Sanya during trip to province, but holds off on timeline.
