Hong Kong Airlines confirms order for six A330-200s

Carrier to start long range services to Europe

Hong Kong Airlines has finalised a firm order with Airbus for six A330-200s. The contract firms up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced during the Singapore Airshow earlier this year. The new aircraft will be powered by PW 4000 engines.

Hong Kong Airlines now has a total of 23 A330s on order. The first of these will arrive in Hong Kong in the second quarter of this year and will initially be used on existing routes and later to launch the airline's first services to Europe.

"Low operating costs and high levels of cabin comfort make the A330-200 the perfect choice to expand into the long haul market," said Yang Jian Hong, President, Hong Kong Airlines. "We are looking forward to offering passengers a premium service on these routes."

"The order from Hong Kong Airlines is another vote of confidence in the A330 as the most popular widebody in service today," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. "With the A330-200 in its fleet the airline will be well placed to develop a profitable long haul operation."

Established in 2006, Hong Kong Airlines currently operates a full service network linking Hong Kong with destinations in mainland China and the Asian region. In addition to A330s, the carrier also has 30 single aisle A320 aircraft on firm order for future delivery.

The A330 is one of the most widely used widebody aircraft in service today. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,000 firm orders for the various versions of the aircraft. More than 650 A330s have already been delivered and the aircraft is currently flying with over 80 operators worldwide.

Source: AIRBUS