Singapore Hong Kong air competition heats up as Hong Kong airlines starts daily service from January 14

Hong Kong Airlines will operate both freighter and passenger services to Singapore from 14 January 2011 and 15 January 2011 respectively.

Changi Airport Group said it is the second carrier to operate passenger services to Changi Airport and the first to commence freighter services to Singapore this year.

Hong Kong Airlines will operate a daily passenger service on Airbus A332 aircraft as well as a four-weekly freighter services on Airbus A332F aicraft. The freighter service, with a capacity of 63 tonnes, will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

In the first 11 months of 2010, passenger traffic between Singapore and Hong Kong rose more than 24% to 2.55 million, compared with the year before. During the same period, cargo throughput on the same route rose 16%, with some 157,000 tonnes moved. Hong Kong is one of Changi's top five routes for both passenger and cargo traffic.

With the addition of Hong Kong Airlines, Changi Airport now serves 102 airlines operating more than 5,200 weekly scheduled flights connecting Singapore to over 200 cities in 60 countries and territories.