Hong Kong Express Airways

Infobox_Airline
airline=Hong Kong Express Airways
香港快運航空
logo=hong_kong_express_logo.gif
logo_size=175
fleet_size=5
destinations=19 (As of Jul 2008)
IATA=UO
ICAO=HKE
callsign=HONGKONG SHUTTLE
parent=Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd.
founded=1997
headquarters=Hong Kong, China
key_people=Ronnie Choi, (President)
Andrew E. Tse, (CEO)
hubs=Hong Kong International Airport
focus_cities=
frequent_flyer=
lounge=
alliance=
website= http://www.hongkongexpress.com

Hong Kong Express Airways Limited (Chinese: 香港快運航空有限公司, previously 港聯航空) is an airline based in Hong Kong. It operates scheduled services to five cities within the People's Republic of China, as well as international services. Its main base is Hong Kong International Airport.cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= Flight International | page= 91 | date= 2007-04-03]

Besides its fixed wing services, the HeliExpress division of Hong Kong Express Airways HeliHongKong and East Asia Airlines based in Hong Kong and Macau respectively before the fixed wing services began) operates a fleet of five Sikorsky S76C+ helicopters on services between Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, Guangdong. It also operates local passenger charters and aerial works.

History

The airline was established in 1996 by Helicopters Hong Kong, as Heli Hong Kong. It was owned by Macau casino entrepreneur Stanley Ho. The current name was adopted in 2004. In May 2005 it was announced that Hong Kong Express Airways had received approval from the Hong Kong Economic Development and Labour Bureau to operate scheduled air services to five cities in China: Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing and Ningbo. On January 23, 2008, it was announced that the airline has been approved for flights to Shanghai, according to the Shanghai Daily. It took delivery of its first aircraft in July 2005 and launched scheduled services to Guangzhou on September 7, 2005, followed by flights to Hangzhou on 5 October, 2005. Fact|date=June 2007

Their first aircraft, an Embraer E-170, the first in Asia, had been delivered on 21 July 2005 and began scheduled services on 6 September 2005. The airline initially used the aircraft on charter services to Taichung, Taiwan, prior to starting scheduled services to Guangzhou and Hangzhou in China.

The airline has been granted permission to fly between Hong Kong and Taichung, Taiwan on 30 August, 2005 on a charter rental scheme. In November 2005, the airline was granted permission to fly to 12 more Chinese cities and 3 other Asian destinations besides Taichung. It inaugurated charter services Hong Kong-Taichung(Taiwan),in June 2006, with 3 flights a week, and inaugurated nonstop services to Chiang Mai and Chongqing on 22 June, 2006 and 31 July, 2006 respectively. New charter services to Phuket will start on August 4, 2006, which will operate 2 flights a week. On November 16, 2006, the airline had its inaugural flight to Chengdu in Sichuan Province. On April 4, 2007, scheduled services to Xi'an in Shaanxi Province were launched. Fact|date=June 2007 Also, a new Bangkok flight was added in Sep 2007, and new services towards further destinations in Southeast Asia including Yangon, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur

The HNA Group (owner of Hainan Airlines) acquired a 45% share in the airline in August 2006. The airline is owned by HKE Holding (45%), Stanley Ho (40.3%) and Andrew Tse (14.7%) and has 100 employees (at March 2007).

On 29 January, 2007, Hong Kong Express announced its new Chinese name 香港快運航空有限公司 (formerly 港聯航空) and used Pixiu as its logo. The first Boeing 737-800 of their orders has arrived on 31 January, 2007, featuring the new livery.

Destinations

Fleet

As of July 2008 the Hong Kong Express Airways fleet includes :

*5 Boeing 737-800

The airline intends to expand its Boeing 737 NG fleet when they receive the right to fly to more destinations in China and Southeast Asia. [ [http://www.hongkongexpress.com/?structure=002&content=6&articleid=169&rnd=25025 Hong Kong Express website - Boeing 737 possible acquisition] ] Their first Boeing 737-808, leased from Icelandair, with the registration of B-KXE (line number and Serial Number: 34710/2144), had its first flight in Seattle on 13 December, 2006. [ [http://www.seattle-deliveries.com/latest.htm Seattle deliveries - B-KXE Hong Kong Express B737-808 34710/2144 made its first flight as BOE015] ]

Hong Kong Express phased out its four Embraer 170 aircraft leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services, which had been introduced in September 2005, and switched its focus to larger aircraft, with the acquiring of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. [Flight International, 23-29 January 2007]

The first aircraft (B-KXA) was delivered in July 2005, and the second aircraft (B-KXB) was delivered on 30 September, 2005. The third Embraer 170 (B-KXC) was delivered on 8 December, 2005. The fourth Embraer 170 (B-KXD) was delivered on 28 May, 2006. All of the four aircraft are being leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services. But it plans to add two aircraft annually over the next few years to fly to other Asian destinations, according to the company's website. Fact|date=June 2007

Two more Boeing 737-800s (B-KXF and B-KXG) had already begun service in years 2006 and 2007. B-KXH was also delivered to Hong Kong Express on 13th Oct 2007 and entered service in November 2007, to the new Southeast Asia destinations such as Yangon, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

External links

* [http://www.hongkongexpress.com Hong Kong Express Airways]
* [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=HKE&al_op=1 Hong Kong Express Airways Fleet]
* [http://www.heliexpress.com/ HeliExpress]
* [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Hong%20Kong%20Express&distinct_entry=true/ Airliners.net - Fleet Photos]

References