07 Feb 2023

China Aviation Industry Newsletter

Hong Kong Airlines is to reach pre-pandemic levels by 2024

Hong Kong Airlines said that it will hire 1,000 new employees by the end of 2023 to help with current and future expansion. In order to restore the workforce to 60% to 70% of pre-pandemic levels, 120 pilots, 500 cabin crew members, and 380 ground support members will be hired both domestically and internationally.

Resumption of Flights to Mainland China Announced by British Airways

British Airways has announced that after a two-year hiatus, it will once again offer flights between the UK and mainland China, with service beginning from London Heathrow to Shanghai on April 23 and Beijing on June 3. British Airways’ Head of Sales, Asia Pacific, Noella Ferns, said “We can’t wait to welcome our customers back on board our flights from Shanghai and Beijing. We know they’ve been looking forward to reuniting with family and friends, coming to study in the UK and resuming business between China and the UK. We have an incredibly rich history of flying to mainland China, having connected the two countries for more than 40 years. We look forward to resuming these routes again."

SWISS will restart its passenger service to Shanghai

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) declared that it would resume passenger flights to and from Mainland China. Beginning on March 3, SWISS will operate one nonstop weekly flight between Zurich and Shanghai. From April on, that frequency will increase to three weekly flights. The flights will generally be operated using Airbus A340-300 or Boeing 777-300ER aircraft depending on market demand. SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Tamur Goudarzi said “We’re delighted that we’ll soon be providing our customers with flights between Zurich and Shanghai again. It’s a high priority for us to meet the demand that is now growing again for travel between these two major business centres and beyond. Shanghai remains one of the key points in our network in terms of both inbound and outbound travellers.”

9 million passengers by air during Chinese New Year Festival

Between January 21 and January 27, 2023 (the night before and the first six days of the Chinese New Year), 9 million people were transported by air, an increase of 79.8% from 2022.

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