Hong Kong Airlines has confirmed that it’s pulling out of the Australian market by cancelling its triangular Hong Kong-Gold Coast-Cairns service.
The announcement comes 15 months after the carrier launched the three-times weekly service, with the last flight taking off on 28 October 2018.
Sadly, that didn’t last long.
According to the Australian Business Traveller, the decision to terminate the service is part of Hong Kong Airlines’ “changing business strategy” for the Aussie market.
Passengers affected by the cancellation of flights will be contacted by the carrier with alternative travel arrangements, including a full refund, free date change for travel before 28 October, or a free transfer to Virgin Australia or Hainan Airlines flights.
The news comes as a major blow to the two Queensland cities, which expected to receive some 13,000 extra visitors per year and around $32 million in overnight visitor expenditure from the flights.
Despite pulling out of the Queensland market, Hong Kong Airlines will still have a small presence in Australia through its codeshare partner, Virgin Australia, on services between Melbourne and Hong Kong as well as forthcoming Sydney and Hong Kong.
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