Summary

  • British Airways to halve Hong Kong flights due to soaring costs from Russian airspace restrictions.
  • Decision to reduce flights may last beyond Winter 2024 to Summer 2025, but under review.
  • Reduction in competition could lead to price hikes for Hong Kong flights, benefiting Cathay Pacific.

British Airways has revealed it will “temporarily” halve the frequency of flights between London and Hong Kong this fall as the cost of operating the route has soared due to Russian airspace restrictions. The carrier currently operates a double-daily service to the former British colony but will cut this to a daily flight from October.

British Airways reduces Hong Kong flights

As reported by the South China Morning Post, British Airways said its decision to halve the number of flights to Hong Kong was down to rising costs as a consequence of the closure of Russian airspace. Because it can no longer fly its aircraft over Russia, it has been forced to take a lengthier and less economical routing, driving up fuel and staffing costs.

A British Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

A spokesperson for British Airways told SCMP,

“We regularly review our global schedule and we have decided to temporarily reduce our Hong Kong service to one flight a day, from 27 October 2024. Like other UK carriers, we are not able to use Russian airspace which means our flight time is considerably longer, this also adds cost through fuel and staffing.”

While the decision has been labeled temporary, it appears the frequency cuts will be instated not just for the Winter 2024 season (starting October 27th) but also over Summer 2025. However, the airline says it will keep the decision under review, so it’s possible it may reinstate flights by next summer. With its current double-daily service shared by the Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, data from Cirium reveals that it is pulling the 777-200 and the 787-9 will remain on this route.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

Photo: mary416 | Shutterstock

BA has been eager to re-establish itself in the region and will serve 15 Asia-Pacific destinations this Winter season, including a return to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Interestingly, its Kuala Lumpur daily flight – announced back in March – has similar timings (and the same aircraft, the 787-9) to one of its daily Hong Kong services, suggesting the airline has been planning to drop one of its Hong Kong flights for a while now.

Price hikes coming?

There’s a decent chance that the reduced competition on this route will enable Hong Kong’s national carrier, Cathay Pacific, to increase fare prices. BA and Cathay are the only two airlines flying direct between London and Hong Kong, so a reduction in BA capacity will undoubtedly work in Cathay’s favor.

Cathay Pacific A350-900

Photo: Cathay Pacific

Unlike European and North American carriers that have been barred from Russian airspace, many Asian carriers have escaped this fate, including Cathay. This means the Hong Kong carrier is able to fly on this route using the most optimal routing over Russia, helping it keep operational costs down. According to data from Cirium, Cathay operates 30 weekly flights between the two cities, offering over 18,000 weekly seats compared to BA’s 6,800 weekly seats.

Rebook or refund

British Airways says it is contacting any customers impacted by its schedule change and will offer them either a new flight or a full refund.

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