HK Express Records 123% Passenger Growth

(Hong Kong, 13 October, 2014) To mark the one year anniversary of their transformation to a low-cost carrier (LCC), HK Express today released new figures showing the airline’s remarkable success and growth story over the past 12 months.

In October 2013, HK Express announced plans to transform to a low-cost carrier (LCC). Since that time, HK Express’ passenger numbers have grown 123%, compared with the pre-LCC era dated 30 September 2013. This success can be attributed to a number of factors, including:
· A 50% increase in aircraft utilization rate – with each aircraft in the fleet now employed for an average of 12 hours a day (as opposed to eight hours a day pre-LCC);
· A 15% increase in aircraft capacity – each A320 in the fleet now has 176 seats (as opposed to 152 seats pre-LCC);
· An increase in the fleet size, from five to eight aircraft; and
· A 10% increase in load factor (load factor refers to the percentage of the aircraft that is utilized each flight).

HK Express has also achieved a number of accolades in their first year of LCC operation which highlight the airline’s commitment to safety, customer service, and on-time performance. In September this year, HK Express announced that they had flown their one millionth Guest since transformation – a major achievement that attests to the popularity and efficiency of the new operation. Additionally, according to independent flight statistic monitoring website flightstats.com, HK Express was the best performing Hong Kong–based airline in terms of On-Time Performances(OTP), which is a figure determined by calculating the number of flights that depart or arrive within 15 minutes of their designated time. In the last quarter of 2014, HK Express has so far recorded an OTP rate of 85%.

“I would like to thank all Hongkongers for having faith in us in our first year of operation. As Hong Kong’s one-and-only low-fare airline, we are committed to provide safe, efficient and affordable travel throughout Asia,” said Andrew Cowen, Deputy CEO of HK Express. Cowen continued: “As part of our commitment to serving our customers, we frequently seek the opinions of our Guests. In a recent online survey, we were pleased to see that 76% of our Guests will look to HK Express when planning their holiday. This to me is a solid affirmation that our strategy is on track.”

At today’s press conference, HK Express also shared their long and short-term growth plans, which include:
· A focus on expanding capacity in existing key markets, particularly in North Asia and China;
· A focus on seeking new market opportunities, with a target to expand to 30 destinations by the end of 2015;
· A focus of building the fleet size from eight to 15 aircraft by end of 2015
· An investment in people and talent – HK Express will focus on growing employee numbers from 400 to 600 by the end of 2015, across all facets of operations including cabin crew, pilots and administration.