The CEO of Hong Kong Airlines (HX, Hong Kong International) has told Bloomberg that he is looking to acquire at least three used B787s to resume flights to North America next year. Sun Jianfeng said the airline is eyeing routes to Seattle Tacoma International, Los Angeles International, Vancouver International and Toronto Pearson. The HNA Group-owned airline used to fly A350-900s to Los Angeles and San Francisco, but stopped using them in 2020.
The airline’s previous loss-making long-haul operations played a role in its financial near-death experience, which predated but was exacerbated by Covid-19. In 2022, it underwent a court-supervised reorganization that included restructuring $6.3 billion in debt, trimming its network and returning dozens of aircraft, including the A350, used for flights to North America.
After the pandemic, Hong Kong Airlines now flies to 32 airports in 11 countries, with a fleet of twelve A320-200s, one A321-200, five A330-200s and ten A330-300s. However, according to ch-aviation’s fleet module, all A330-200s and two A330-300s are currently out of service. Before Covid, the airline operated around 50 aircraft.
As Hong Kong recently reopened for business and traffic at the territory’s airport began to pick up again, Hong Kong Airlines focused on growth. In September 2023, it returned its last A350-900 to lessor ALAFCO and in May 2024, it took delivery of the A321-200 leased from AerCap. Around the same time, Sun told local media that the airline intends to take delivery of eight aircraft during 2024 and a similar number each year for the foreseeable future. He said the restructuring was complete and the airline was making money.
Hong Kong Airlines’ network now includes mainland China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, the Maldives, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos and the Northern Mariana Islands. Last week, the airline announced it would operate a short season of scheduled flights to Gold Coast Coolangatta in Australia using A330 aircraft in early 2025. “The opening of the route will mark our first step back into the long-haul market as we gradually introduce more aircraft to support the expansion of our route network,” Sun said in an accompanying media release. “This includes actively exploring a return to the North American market.”
