Greater Bay Airlines hopes for 2021 launch dashed by Hong Kong inquiry bangkokpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bangkokpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Greater Bay Airlines, New Low Cost Launching in Unfavourable Time
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The COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 one of the worst years in history for the global airline industry, with widespread layoffs, bailouts, and record revenue losses that are projected to continue into 2021. But the grim outlook for aviation is not stopping one Hong Kong airline start-up from making plans to launch by this northern summer.
Budget airline Greater Bay Airlines (GBA) applied for the rights to fly 104 routes across Asia, according to a Hong Kong government gazette.
Nearly half of GBA’s potential routes fly to mainland China, where domestic air travel rebounded quicker than regional peers and surpassed 2019 air passenger figures by September due to low COVID-19 cases. GBA’s mainland China destinations range from first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai to smaller, third-tier cities like Weifang and Yancheng.
Greater Bay Airlines has applied to serve more than 100 cities across the Asia-Pacific region as the Hong Kong-based startup moves closer to launching commercial operations.
In a filing to Hong Kong’s Air Transport Licensing Authority, the fledgling carrier has requested the rights to operate 104 scheduled routes from Hong Kong International (HKG) using Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Of these, 48 routes are to destinations in mainland China including major cities such as Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shanghai. A further 13 are to Japan and six are to Thailand, with Tokyo, Osaka and Bangkok among the intended routes listed.
The airline also wants to serve multiple cities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Other countries such as Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Nepal and Singapore would receive one route each if the application is successful.
Greater Bay Airlines (GBA), the Hong Kong start-up vying to snatch a lucrative slice of top local carrier Cathay Pacific’s business, has bid to secure the right to fly to more than 100 destinations across Asia – a major step towards making its first take-off a reality.
The fledgling airline, headed by former top Cathay executive Algernon Yau Ying-wah, applied to the government for the rights to operate scheduled flights, according to a public filing gazetted on Friday.
Company sources were watching the filing closely to see if rival local airlines – namely Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines – lodged objections, the filing being their first opportunity to do so. Any objection would result in a delay and a probable public hearing to weigh the concerns of the opposing parties.
Former Dragon chief to head bay airline thestandard.com.hk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thestandard.com.hk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.