Greater Bay Airlines halts Hong Kong-Singapore flights

Hong Kong-based carrier Greater Bay Airlines (GBA) announced the suspension of its daily service between Hong Kong and Singapore, effective from June 1.

The decision, attributed to commercial considerations, comes hot on the heels of its recent rivalry with budget giants Scoot and AirAsia, as well as premium players Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Launched with much fanfare on April 26, GBA’s Singapore route was heralded as a game-changer, but the reality proved otherwise. Even a lavish family trip to Hong Kong for top Singaporean travel agency representatives failed to bolster its fortunes.

Responding to TTG Asia, a spokesperson for GBA expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers, assuring that the airline is in the process of directly contacting affected travellers to facilitate flight protection, rebooking, or refunds, all without any additional charges.

“We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our passengers and stakeholders for their unwavering support.

“This experience will serve as a learning curve as we aim to diversify into new destinations, elevate the service on current routes, and collaborate extensively with travel agencies for charter operations.”

GBA’s other flight operations remain unaffected, reported TTG Asia.

In related news, Jetstar Airways faced criticism from passengers when a flight from Bangkok to Singapore was delayed by more than 24 hours. The low-budget airline came under fire after 161 passengers found themselves stranded at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Wednesday, March 13.

The latest mega-delay comes just days after a 2-hour flight across Japan became a 16-hour nightmare when a flight was denied permission to land because it was 10 minutes late.

In other news, Scoot, the budget carrier under Singapore Airlines, is about to revolutionise travel with its cutting-edge E190-E2 jets, set to take flight in May. With the delivery of the first and second of nine E2s scheduled for April, Scoot has unleashed its grand plan, unveiling the initial destinations for these state-of-the-art aircraft.