Oasis Hong Kong Airlines Obtains Permission to Fly Over Russian Airspace as Second 747 Enters Service

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines recently celebrated another milestone as its second Boeing 747-400 entered into service on November 24 and the Federal Air Navigation Authority in Russia granted the airline permission to fly over Russian airspace. The airline is also set to launch a number of new flight routes next year.

Oasis was granted permission by the Federal Air Navigation Authority in Russia on November 28 to fly over Russian airspace. This route will significantly shorten the flying time on the Hong Kong-London route. Oasis flights will now take 12 hours 20 minutes to travel from Hong Kong to London and 10 hours 50 minutes vice versa depending upon prevailing weather conditions.

Stephen Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Oasis said, “We are delighted we now have permission to fly over Russia. With a more direct flight path, we significantly shorten the flying time for our passengers and are committed to continuing our offering of accessible and affordable long haul travel for Hong Kong people and the many more visitors coming here.”

“The arrival of our second Boeing 747 increases the operational robustness of our schedule. After London, we will fly to Oakland (San Francisco area) in California in the first half of 2007 and later to other European and North American cities including Cologne/Bonn, Milan, Berlin and Chicago, providing smart business and leisure travellers with highly competitive fares to a wider range of desirable long haul destinations.”

The two Boeing 747-400s that Oasis owns were previously owned and maintained by Singapore Airlines. The company is actively seeking to acquire up to five aircraft a year and expand its fleet to 25 aircraft by 2010. Engineering and maintenance is carried out by HAECO, a leading aviation maintenance provider in Asia.

Mr. Miller said, “At the moment the average cargo load factor for Oasis is 20% higher than we expected. With the second aircraft in operation and more aircraft acquisitions in the pipeline, a very positive outlook is projected for the airline’s cargo business.”

Flights of the airline operated at a 73% average passenger load factor in November.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, Hong Kong, London