A YEAR after its successful transformation to an LCC, Hong Kong Express has grown passenger numbers by 123 per cent and is charting an aggressive expansion strategy.
The airline will add 12 new destinations for 30 in total, while building its fleet from eight to 15 aircraft by end-2015. Daily flights to Tokyo (Narita) will start from December 8.
Deputy CEO Andrew Cowen declined to name the new destinations but explained the airline’s network balances on “three legs” – Greater China, South-east Asia and North Asia. He also mentioned that HK Express prefers to fly to secondary Chinese cities with no existing LCC competition.
Explaining the rationale for the new Tokyo (Narita) service, Cowen said: “Japan has risen as a top destination for Hong Kongers. Our fares are 70 per cent lower than a full-service carrier’s. We have also observed more business travel demand from SMEs in Hong Kong, Macau and cities in the Pearl River Delta. They couldn’t afford to fly to Japan before but our fare enables them to do that.”
He added that the airline’s new initiatives including priority check-ins and pre-booked meals could attract this segment.
Cowen said a new method of payment for customers who do not use credit cards will also come into play before year-end, which allows payments to be automatically deducted from bank accounts.
