Greater Bay Airlines is Hong Kong’s latest airline startup. It was unfortunate to try to start services just as the pandemic hit Hong Kong air traffic. Despite a delayed start in July 2022, it now operates four aircraft with strong expansion plans.
A new private airline for Hong Kong
In July 2020, plans began to emerge for a fifth airline to start operations from Hong Kong International Airport. Greater Bay Airlines is a private airline founded by Chinese investor Bill Wong Cho-bau – the owner of Shenzhen-based Donghai Airlines. In December 2020, Algernon Yau Ying-wah, the former CEO of Cathay Dragon, was appointed as the new CEO. Stanley Hui took over as CEO in June 2022.
Cathay Pacific is, of course, the dominant carrier in Hong Kong (along with its previous subsidiary, Cathay Dragon, which it has now closed). Several others have attempted to take it on over the years, with varying results.
Oasis Hong Kong tried to operate European routes but failed. Jetstar Hong Kong planned a regional airline but never got started. HK Express began in 2004 and was acquired by Cathay Pacific in 2019. Lastly, Hong Kong Airlines, which started flights in 2006, remains a competitor. However, since early 2020, it dropped long-haul services to focus on just regional.
Air Operator Certificate received in October 2021
The new carrier submitted an application to Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Authority for an air operator’s certificate (AOC) in July 2021. It took delivery of its first aircraft before this was approved. The airline’s first Boeing 737-800 arrived on September 7th. It flew from Kazakhstan’s Astana International Airport to Hong Kong International Airport and officially landed in Hong Kong at about 3 pm. The photograph below shows this first aircraft on a training flight in September 2021.
At the time, the airline hoped its operator’s license would be granted before the end of September. If this had worked out, it could have taken its maiden flight on China’s National Day on October 1st. However, the license was not approved until October 8th. In January 2021, the airline released details of its planned routes. It applied at the time to the Air Transport Licensing Authority for rights to operate to 104 cities. Many of these were the routes abandoned by Cathay Dragon, with around half of these destinations (48) in mainland China.
Starting commercial flights
Despite receiving an AOC in October 2021 (and an Air Transport License in February 2022), the airline had to slow down its plans, with restrictions still in place in Hong Kong at the time. It was not until July 2022 that it launched its first flight. This was operated with its Boeing 737-800 to Bangkok. The flight departed Hong Kong as flight HB660 at 10:40 and landed in Bangkok at 12:05 after flying for 2 hours and 25 minutes. Operations were still very restricted at this time, with Hong Kong (and China) maintaining COVID measures and restrictions longer than other locations.
A day before the launch, Jodie Lai, head of marketing and customer experience at Greater Bay Airlines, told the South China Morning Post,
“We are very happy to launch our first flight, as we hope to see planes in the air as an airline company. However, there have been a multitude of external factors we could not control along the way, and we will try our best to cooperate with the government’s pandemic measures.”
Expanding the fleet and routes
Since its first flight in July 2022, the carrier’s network has gradually expanded. It is nowhere near the 104 routes it originally planned to operate; as of November 2023, it is flying to Japan (Osaka and Tokyo Narita), Taiwan, Thailand (Bangkok), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City), South Korea (Seoul), and the Philippines (Manila). Singapore flights are due to start in 2024.
Photo: Omid Behzadpour | Shutterstock
Its fleet has grown to four aircraft – all leased Boeing 737-800. After receiving its first aircraft in September 2021, it took one more in March 2022 and another in March 2023. These were all formerly operated by Norwegian Air International and were acquired through ICBC Leasing. The fourth 737-800 arrived a year later, in August 2023. This formerly operated with China Airlines.
The 737-800 makes sense for such an airline, with other low-cost operators finding the type works well for such operations. With its compromise on range and capacity, it makes a good, flexible option and has been the best-selling 737 variant to date.
Ordering the Boeing 737 MAX
For real expansion, the airline needs more aircraft, which is now underway. Greater Bay Airlines placed an order for 15 new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in March 2023. These are with a 200-seat configuration, and delivery should start in mid-2024. These will be critical for its regional (and domestic China) growth.
Photo: Boeing
Wong Cho Bau, the carrier’s Chair, stated at the time:
“The 737-9 will allow GBA to open up new routes from Hong Kong with unmatched economics. The new order will bring fantastic growth possibilities to GBA and enable us to strive for excellence in an innovative way for our valued customers.”
Looking further ahead, the airline has also placed a commitment for five 787s. This would obviously allow for expansion onto longer routes, but the airline has not yet made any announcements about this.
Do you think the post-COVID market will allow for another airline operating out of Hong Kong? What else do you think we will see from Greater Bay Airlines? Feel free to discuss further in the comments.
Sources: South China Morning Post, ch-aviation.com