When I first read about the number of pax travelling via LHR to HKG I passed it on higher up the tree and that's the answer I was given.
MAN-SVO-HKG never happened for the reasons we know about, we used to code share with aeroflot, we don't now as we put our own a/c on the route and it got sent to DME instead.
The price of MAN-?-HKG was pitched far higher than MAN-LHR-HKG, so the savvy punters would of done that unless they preferred the convenience of travelling from MAN-?-HKG.
A lot of it is a cultural thing as well, CX being very snobbish and preffering to put a/c into capital/major cities (waits for the flak). The proverbial hit the fan when we pulled out of Zurich.
We were hoping for the 3 M's to be new routes, Milan, Moscow and MAN, but it was only the 2. Unless you count the Miami freighter service of course.
We wait with baited breath.