AFP, SYDNEYVirgin Australia Group yesterday said that it is canceling its flights between Sydney and Hong Kong, just 18 months after launching the route, due to reduced demand caused by the pro-democracy protests and the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. “While the decision to withdraw from the Hong Kong market has been a difficult one, it demonstrates our strong focus on driving greater financial discipline through our network,” MacLeod said in a statement. “Current circumstances demonstrate that Hong Kong is no longer a commercially viable route for Virgin Australia to continue operating, however international tourism remains an important part of our strategy through our other international routes and partner airlines.”The route is to cease operating on March 2. Australian Department of Transport data showed that Virgin Australia’s outbound Sydney to Hong Kong flights were operating at just 64 percent capacity in November last year, compared with 80 percent for Qantas Airways Ltd and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (國泰航空). Virgin Australia in November last year announced that it would suspend services between Melbourne and Hong Kong from Tuesday next week.

Source: Taipei Times February 06, 2020 15:56 UTC