Hong Kong Airlines to start new daily direct flights to Vancouver

Vancouver will have a third direct flight service to Hong Kong as of early next summer, cementing the Vancouver to Hong Kong route as Vancouver International Airport’s (YVR) most frequent international route.

Beginning on June 30, 2017, Hong Kong Airlines will operate a daily flight service from YVR to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). Flights will depart YVR at 12:10 pm and arrive at HKG at 4:50 pm the next day while flights will leave HKG at 12:30 pm and land at YVR at 10:10 am the same day.

The airline is embarking on a major expansion phase with new routes to North America, Europe, and Australia to compete directly with Cathay Pacific, made possible by the airline’s doubling of its aircraft fleet to approximately 50 planes by 2018. When the Vancouver service commences operation, it will utilize AirBus A330-200 until more new generation aircraft are delivered.

See also

• New flights from Vancouver to Nagoya and Taipei
• Vancouver International Airport named the Best Airport in the World
• Cathay Pacific boosts frequency of Vancouver to Hong Kong flights

The Vancouver route will be Hong Kong Airlines’ first scheduled Trans-Pacific flight service. The route to Hong Kong experiences exceedingly high demand given that it is also serviced by Cathay Pacific with 14 weekly flights, increasing to 17 weekly by April using the Airbus A350-900, and Air Canada’s daily service using a Boeing 777-300ER.

“Hong Kong Airlines is a well-known, family-friendly airline based in a world class city, and we are thrilled to be able to offer the public even more options to travel between Vancouver and Hong Kong,” said Craig Richmond, President and CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority, in a statement. “Every new airline that chooses to fly to YVR means more jobs for the local economy and creates new opportunities for British Columbians.”

From now until next summer, there are already plans to introduce three new routes to Asia, including: a three times weekly service to Hangzhou, China via Qingdao by Beijing Capital Airlines; a three times weekly seasonal service to Nagoya, Japan by Air Canada; and a daily service to Taipei, Taiwan by Air Canada.

Buoyed by a booming local tourism industry and reduced competitive airline landing and gate costs, YVR anticipates it will see a record 22 million passengers by the end of 2016 – up from 20.3 million from last year and the year’s original estimate of 21 million.

The Vancouver Airport Authority estimates the new Hong Kong Airlines service will generate 431 new jobs in BC, $15.5 million in wages, $8.6 million in new tax revenue, and $24.4 million in GDP.

New and improved major YVR routes 2015/2016/2017

• March 15, 2015: Manila, Philippines and New York City, U.S.A. – Philippine Airlines adds four weekly flights to its route from Manila to NYC, with a stop in Vancouver.
• March 29, 2015: Paris, France – Air France begins three times weekly non-stop flight service, with five times weekly schedules during the summer months.
• May 1, 2015: Osaka, Japan – Air Canada Rouge begins five times weekly service to Kansai International Airport.
• June 26, 2015: Kungming, China – China Eastern Airlines begins three times weekly flight service via Shanghai.
• December 9, 2015: Mexico City, Mexico – Aeromexico to begin daily non-stop flight service.
• January 1, 2016: Orlando International Airport – WestJet to begin twice weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• January 20, 2016: Orlando-Sanford International Airport – National Airlines to begin two times weekly seasonal flight service.
• February 15, 2016: Cancun, Mexico – Air Canada to begin weekly, non-stop seasonal service.
• May 1, 2016: London Heathrow Airport – British Airways to use an AirBus A380 superjumbo jet for its existing daily non-stop London Heathrow Airport service. The A380 will only be used during the summer months.
• May 6, 2016: London Gatwick Airport – WestJet to begin six times weekly non-stop flight service.
• May 9, 2016: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport – Air Canada to begin twice daily, non-stop service to San Jose.
• June 1, 2016: Brisbane, Australia – Air Canada to begin daily non-stop flight service.
• June 2, 2016: San Diego International Airport – Air Canada to begin daily, non-stop seasonal service.
• June 4, 2016: Chicago O’Hare International Airport – Air Canada to begin daily, non-stop service.
• June 10, 2016: Dublin Airport – Air Canada to begin seasonal non-stop flight service.
• June 29, 2016: London, Ontario – WestJet to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• June 29, 2016: Halifax, Nova Scotia – WestJet to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• June 30, 2016: Hamilton, Ontario – WestJet to begin three times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• July 25, 2016: Xiamen, China – Xiamen Airlines to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• October 20, 2016: Delhi, India – Air Canada to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• December 1, 2016: Mexico City, Mexico – Aeromexico increases weekly flights from 14 to 20.
• December 20, 2016: Nanjing, China – China Eastern Airlines to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• December 30, 2016: Hangzhou, China via Qingdao, China – Beijing Capital Airlines to begin three times weekly service.
• February 5, 2017: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas – Air Canada to begin daily service.
• March 28, 2017: Hong Kong, China – Cathay Pacific increases weekly flights from 14 to 17.
• June 1, 2017: Nagoya, Japan – Air Canada to begin seasonal three times weekly service.
• June 8, 2017: Taipei, Taiwan – Air Canada to begin daily service.
• June 30, 2017: Hong Kong, China – Hong Kong Airlines to begin daily non-stop flight service.