The maiden flight of Hong Kong's much-talked-about first budget air Carrier Oasis Hong Kong Airlines was cancelled on Wednesday after Russia refused to let it fly over its territory.
Touchdown of the Oasis Hong Kong Airlines Boeing 747 at Gatwick Airport would have brought the total number of carriers serving what is the world's busiest long haul air route up to five. BA, Cathay and Virgin Atlantic are all well established and will also be imminently joined by Air New Zealand. What happens from here is unclear.
Oasis Hong Kong Airlines is a true low cost airline offering one way sectors from ”75 plus tax in economy and a starting fare of ”470 (plus tax) for its OasisBusiness class. Long haul budget travel is not new”the late Freddy Laker was famous for his Skytrain.
British charter airlines in the past attempted, largely unsuccessfully, operations as far as Australia, and most of the major carriers often sell seats, "in the back" at give-away prices.
Oasis said since tickets went on sale on September 6, the airline has sold 20,000 seats with 77% of consumers in the UK booking online. With four flights a week in the first month, increasing to a daily service by the end of November, the airline looks set to fly approximately 8,500 tourists, families and business travellers to Hong Kong every month.
CEO Stephen Miller commented: "Our vision is to open up the Far East as a destination by offering affordable long haul travel with no compromise on comfort, safety or service. Low fare air travel has already proved a great success in Europe, yet there is clearly an opportunity in the market for a low fare, long haul operator. Our strong ticket sales in the UK indicate that we are primed to fill that gap and we look forward to extending our offer to hubs in Europe and North America.
”Our unique business model, which mixes low fares with personalised options and high quality service, has resonated strongly with people in the UK, and we are very confident in the future profitability of our business and in the demand for our services."
Oasis plans fly to Oakland (San Francisco Bay area) in California in early 2007 and later to other European and North American cities with Cologne/Bonn, Milan, Berlin and Chicago planned. The airline currently owns two Boeing 747-400s and aims to grow to 25 'planes in the next five years.