Virgin Atlantic Airways launched daily non-stop scheduled services between Hong Kong and Sydney using an Airbus 340-600…
Virgin Atlantic Airways launched daily non-stop scheduled services between Hong Kong and Sydney using an Airbus 340-600 . This will significantly increase the number of passengers Virgin Atlantic flies into Hong Kong and will bring HK$ 1.5 billion (£106m) of economic benefit per annum to Hong Kong.
Speaking in Hong Kong, Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways, said:
“I’m delighted that Virgin Atlantic is now able to offer flights between Hong Kong and Sydney. Virgin Atlantic has flown between London and Hong Kong for over a decade, carrying over 1.5m passengers, and ever since those services began I have hoped we could one day fly onwards to Sydney.
“The new Virgin Atlantic route also means more jobs, trade and tourism in Hong Kong and ensures that Virgin Atlantic will deliver a projected annual economic benefit to Hong Kong of more than HK$ 1.5 billion (£106 million). To support the new route Virgin Atlantic will recruit over 60 more staff – at the airport, our city offices and as cabin crew and We’ll also see more recruitment by our local suppliers as well as having a positive knock-on effect on the Hong Kong tourism and entertainment sectors.
“Many of those travellers who are flying between London and Sydney will take the opportunity to stop off in Hong Kong and experience all that the city has to offer. I’m sure that these new flights with be incredibly popular and we’re actively looking at increasing our capacity on the route over the coming years. Our options include operating the larger Boeing 747 with over 400 seats or from 2008 the new ‘superjumbo’ Airbus A380 which will carry over 500 passengers. In the future we are also hoping to add a second daily flight between London and Hong Kong.
“When we applied to the Hong Kong authorities to operate between Hong Kong and Sydney we said we thought we could turn Hong Kong into the most popular routing between the UK and Australia. Hong Kong is currently fourth behind Singapore, Kuala Lumpar and Dubai. With these new flights and Qantas’ recent introduction of flights through Hong Kong it will quickly move into second place in the next year.
“Passengers travelling on the London-Hong Kong route over the past couple of months will have experienced our new Upper Class Suite which consists of a reclining leather seat for take off, a place to sit and eat a proper meal opposite your partner, the longest fully flat bed in the world with a proper mattress for sleeping on, a private onboard bar to drink at with your friends, a private massage room and four limousines per return trip. Upper Class passengers will also enjoy our brand new state-of-the-art Clubhouse at Hong Kong which was constructed to ensure passengers on this route could experience the very best in lounge design, facilities and service.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Hong Kong authorities for agreeing to this change to the air services arrangements, and to UK Ministers for the offer of trans-Atlantic rights to Hong Kong carriers that made this deal possible. I would also like to express my thanks to everyone who has helped us in Hong Kong, especially the Airport Authority of Hong Kong, for turning this dream into reality.“
Flight VS200 from Hong Kong to Sydney will be operated by an Airbus 340-600 aircraft. Flights depart Hong Kong at 19.20 and arrive in Sydney at 07.00 the following day and the return service, the VS201, leaves Sydney at 16.00 and arrives in Hong Kong at 22.05 the same day. The flight time is around eight hours. The Airbus 340-600 aircraft will be configured with 45 Upper Class seats, 28 Premium Economy and 233 Economy.
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