Hong Kong Airlines (HKA), an internationally-acclaimed SKYTRAX 4-star airline, today signed a code share agreement with Air India, one of the most extensive flight service providers in India. Commercial Director of HKA, Mr. Li Dianchun, attended the contract signing ceremony in Delhi and jointly announced the code share with Mr. Pankaj Srivastava, Commercial Director of Air India. Under the code share agreement, HKA will place its code (HX) on direct flights operated by Air India between Hong Kong (HKG) and three cities including Delhi (DEL), Osaka (KIX), and Seoul (ICN) respectively#.
The agreement enables passengers to book on HKA while with Air India as the operating carrier to an expanded network of destinations. HKA customers will be provided with even better access to key parts of India, Japan and Korea. They will be able to enjoy daily flights between Hong Kong and Delhi, a three times weekly flight (every Tue./Thu./Sat.) between Hong Kong and Osaka, as well as a four times weekly flight (every Mon./Wed./Fri./Sun.) between Hong Kong and Seoul, all to be served by Air India's latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which offers the ultimate in terms of passenger comfort with roomier cabins, larger electronically dimmable windows, a state-of-the-art In-Flight Entertainment System. The codeshare takes effect for flights booked from 10 June 2014 (HKG=DEL) and 4 July 2014 (HKG=KIX, HKG=ICN) respectively.
During the ceremony, Mr. Li of HKA said, "As a SKYTRAX 4-star airline company, Hong Kong Airlines has always been committed to strengthening its competitive offerings in Asia Pacific and to expanding its network actively. We are glad to have this opportunity to partner with Air India, a well-established national carrier, to provide more travel options to our customers via this code share arrangement. The code share agreement broadens our reach to India, Japan and Korea, making it a significant landmark in Hong Kong Airlines' network development. And we look forward to further cooperation with Air India in the future."
Mr. Pankaj Srivastava, Commercial Director of Air India, said, "As a National Carrier and India's leading domestic and international airline, Air India feels honoured to enter into this significant code-share agreement with a premier airline like Hong Kong Airlines. Air India already has code share partnerships with 12 other prestigious airlines across the globe – but, at Hong Kong, HKA is the first partner of Air India. The present code share with HKA is only the beginning of the partnership between the two airlines and we look forward to an expansion of the code share to also involve the transfer of AI passengers on HKA network."
Besides Air India, HKA has established code share arrangements with renowned carriers including EVA Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, and Hainan Airlines, striving to provide better connections for its customers.
Currently, the network of HKA covers about 24 hot pick business and leisure travel destinations in the Mainland China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. In 2013, HKA carried over 4.8 million passengers – an increase of 35% compared to 2012. Recently, HKA has also expanded its flight service to provide new destinations for tourists, such as Tianjin, Ho Chi Minh City and Kagoshima.
Details of the code share flights with Air India are as follows:
* All local time
# Subject to regulatory approvals.