Hong Kong Airlines cuts services to London

The last flight from London to Hong Kong will be on September 10.

General Manager Albert Chan said the airline will end its service between Hong Kong and London due to poor demand. The last flight from London to Hong Kong will be on September 10.

''Given the profitability of our regional routes, we believe that we now have the optimal fleet to continue to build a business . . . focused on Asia Pacific,'' an HKA spokesperson said.

HKA operates three Airbus 330-200 aircraft for the Hong Kong to London flights which are fitted exclusively with business-class seats. The service costs the airline some1 US$1.3 million a month to operate.

The decision to abandon London followed a surprising aviation authority ban last month on the airline's expansion that limited the types of aircraft HKA can operate until the airline meets all safety requirements for operating a larger fleet.

HKA was established in 2006 and operates 21 aircraft. It flies to locations mainly in mainland China and a few international destinations such as Tokyo to Bangkok.