Hong Kong Airlines to launch direct flights to Phuket

Low-cost carrier Hong Kong Airlines will launch a direct flight to Phuket in southern Thailand, starting June 16, 2023.

An Airbus A320 will service the direct Hong Kong – Phuket route four times per week to meet rising demand as tourists return to Thailand in full force.

The outbound flight will depart from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) at 8.20pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and land at Phuket International Airport (HKT) at 11.05pm.

Flights from Phuket will depart at 12.05am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and touch down in Hong Kong at 4.50am.

Hong Kong Airlines hopes the new route will strengthen and expand connectivity between Hong Kong and other hot regional destinations, as well as the airline’s new direct route to Fukuoka in Japan commencing next week on April 7, 2023.

Competition is high on the Hong Kong – Phuket route, which is currently serviced by AirAsia, Hong Kong Express and daily by Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific. AirAsia’s fares are usually the cheapest.

Hong Kong Airlines says the new route will “further leverage Hong Kong’s connectivity as a regional hub in Asia to meet the demand of international transit and travel need in the Asia region.”

Tickets on the route are already available to buy on the Hong Kong Airlines website, with tickets on the inaugural flight on sale for 8,730 baht one-way.

Last week, Bangkok Airways unveiled plans to connect Hong Kong to the island of Koh Samui will a direct flight, “sometime this year.”

Cathay Pacific increased flights to Bangkok up to four times per day in December and resumed flights to Chiang Mai in January. Cathay’s offshoot airline, Hong Kong Express, also operates 22 weekly flights to Thailand.

In May, Tigerair Taiwan – a subsidiary of China Airlines – will launch direct flights between Phuket and Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taiwan.