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And they’re off! Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines launches first flight to Osaka in drive to expand regional routes, take on competitors

  • First Greater Bay Airlines flight to Osaka from Hong Kong took off on Friday morning, with return leg landing at 6pm
  • Flight carrying 130 passengers, 70 per cent of its capacity, with some travellers touting airline’s competitive pricing amid recent steep plane fares

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Greater Bay Airlines CEO Stanley Hui Hon-Chung (centre) with cabin crew members Candy Lau Ka-chun and Jordan Tseung Tat celebrate the carrier’s first flight to Osaka. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The first flight to Osaka by Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines (GBA) took off on Friday as the fledgling operator sought to expand its regional routes and compete with the city’s other carriers.

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HB 540, the airline’s first plane to Kansai International airport, lifted off from the airport at around 9.45am for the three-and-a-half hour flight, with a return leg at 6pm. It landed on time at the Kansai airport at about 1pm Hong Kong time.

The flight has around 130 passengers on board, more than 70 per cent of its capacity, the airline said.

The carrier will operate three flights a week to Osaka, in addition to daily services to Taipei, Tokyo and Bangkok. The low-cost carrier also flies to Seoul four times a week.

The Post reported on Sunday that airfares remained high at up to 40 per cent more than pre-pandemic levels.

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