Hong Kong Airlines to launch Hong Kong-Sapporo Service

Hong Kong Airlines is launching five-times-weekly service between Hong Kong and Sapporo on December 19.

Sapporo is the largest city on Hokkaido, the most northerly of the five large islands that together constitute the main inhabited areas of Japan.

Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-200 B-LND is photographed on short final to Hong Kong International Airport

New Chitose Airport (IATA code CTS), which serves Sapporo, is the main domestic and international gateway for tourists visiting the mountainous region of western Sapporo, which is a popular tourist destination both in summer and in winter.

Together, western Hokkaido and Sapporo become the largest ski-tourism in the Far East during the winter months.

Hong Kong Airlines will operate Airbus A330 widebodies on the route, which it will serve on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“According to the official figures from Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on the total number of foreign tourists visiting Japan from January to July 2014, an increase of 21.6 per cent for Hong Kong tourists was resulted compared to the same period in 2013,” says Li Dianchun, commercial director of Hong Kong Airlines.

“And the total number of Mainland China and Thailand tourists visiting Japan rose by 90.8 per cent and 61 per cent respectively,” adds Li. “Passengers from Mainland China and Thailand can choose to transit through Hong Kong to Japan.”

In 2010, Hong Kong Airlines finalized a contract with Airbus converting an existing order for 15 A330s to specify A350-900s instead

Hong Kong Airlines also operates a daily round-trip between Hong Kong and Okinawa (the most southerly of the five large Japanese islands) and a twice-weekly service between Hong Kong and Kagoshima.

The carrier’s schedule for its flights from Hong Kong to Sapporo will see flight HX 690 leave Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from December 19 and arrive at CTS at 2:55 p.m. local time.

On Fridays, flight HX 690 will depart HKG at midday and touch down at CTS at 5:30 p.m. local time.

In the other direction, flight HX693 will push back from the gate at CTS at 3:55 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from December 19, and land at HKG at 9:05 p.m. local time.

On Fridays flight HX693 will leave CTS at 6:30 p.m. and get to HKG at 11:30 p.m. local time.

Hong Kong Airlines is planning to begin selling tickets for the Hong Kong-Sapporo route on September 22. For more details, visit www.hkairlines.com or contact Hong Kong Airlines Call Center hotline at +852-3151-1888 (Hong Kong), or 950-715 (Mainland China).