Re: Number 16..............
'August 3, 2005
Hong Kong Express, the territory's most recent start-up carrier, has agreed landing rights to five Chinese second-tier cities and hopes to secure more destinations, a company official said on Wednesday.
The carrier, which does not fly anywhere at present, is expected to fly passengers to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou starting mid-September, with subsequent services to Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing and Ningbo throughout the latter months of 2005 and early 2006.
In the future, the new start-up will also consider seeking landing rights to other secondary cities in China, including Haikou, Sanya, Shantou and Zhengzhou, said Andrew Tse, chief executive officer of Hong Kong Express.
While the airline's expansion plans are centered on China, it also hopes to secure landing rights to Ko Samui in Thailand, Tse said.
"Hong Kong is very weak in terms of connecting to the mainland," said Tse. "We have the opportunity here of launching increased domestic flight services from Hong Kong to the mainland."
Tse is a primary shareholder in privately-owned Hong Kong Express along with tycoon Stanley Ho.
The carrier, which will operate a total of four 76 seat Embraer planes by 2006, is expected to buy two aircraft each year and cover 12-15 cities in China in the next five years. Each Embraer comes with a price tag of about USD$20 million.
(Reuters)'