Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, which flew its maiden service to Gatwick on Friday 27 October, has sorted out problems regarding Russian airspace adding up to 90 minutes extra flight time. Direct flights over the Russian Federation have now been approved.
The airline says flights have been operating at a 73% average passenger load factor in November, exceeding the company's expectations. Since Oasis launched its inaugural celebration offer, nearly 40,000 customers have already booked flights with the carrier airline. A second Boeing 747 has now entered service similarly fitted out with business class seats and 278 in economy.
Oasis chief executive officer Stephen Miller said: "We are delighted we now have permission to fly over Russia. With a more direct flight path, we significantly shorten the flying time for our passengers and are committed to continuing our offering of accessible and affordable long haul travel for Hong Kong people and the many more visitors coming here.
"The arrival of our second Boeing 747 increases the operational robustness of our schedule. After London, we will fly to Oakland (San Francisco area) in California in the first half of 2007 and later to other European and North American cities including Cologne/Bonn, Milan, Berlin and Chicago, providing smart business and leisure travellers with highly competitive fares to a wider range of desirable long haul destinations."
The two Boeing 747-400s that Oasis owns were previously owned and maintained by Singapore Airlines. The company is actively seeking to acquire up to five aircraft a year and expand its fleet to 25 aircraft by 2010. Engineering and maintenance is carried out by HAECO, the leading aviation maintenance provider in Asia.