Hong Kong Airlines will launch a new service between Hong Kong and Lanzhou, Gansu Province, on 26 May. Operating once a week, this direct service will provide immense convenience for travellers and further strengthen connectivity between Hong Kong and the northwest region of the Mainland.

Lanzhou is the only provincial capital in China where the Yellow River flows directly through the city. Beyond serving as the political, economic, and cultural centre of Gansu Province, Lanzhou acts as a crucial bridge connecting the inland areas with the western regions. Historically, it has been a major commercial hub and a vital transport artery along the Silk Road, as well as one of the earliest Chinese cities to embrace modern industrial civilisation.

Lanzhou boasts a magnificent Yellow River scenic corridor, featuring renowned attractions such as the Yellow River Tower, Zhongshan Bridge, White Pagoda Mountain (Baitashan), Lanzhou Stele Forest, and the Yellow River Mother Sculpture. Furthermore, the city is celebrated for its diverse cultural and natural tourism resources, encompassing the Gansu Provincial Museum, Xiguan Mosque, Wuquan Mountain, Lanzhou Shuimo Danxia National Geological Park, Yaou International Building, and Zhangye Road Pedestrian Street. Naturally, visitors must not miss the highly authentic local flavours at the Zhengning Road Snack Night Market and the famous Lanzhou beef noodles. With its captivating charm, the city warmly invites travellers from Hong Kong and around the world to explore its wonders first-hand.

Hong Kong Airlines remains committed to providing passengers with a wider array of travel options. The launch of this new route will deliver a more convenient direct flight experience for both business and leisure travellers, further deepening exchanges between the two destinations. This initiative also actively responds to the Individual Visit Scheme vigorously promoted by the Hong Kong SAR Government. It will not only help attract more Mainland tourists to Hong Kong, but also facilitate their transit through the city to popular travel destinations across Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America, thereby consolidating Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub.

As a key planning area of the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’, Lanzhou plays a pivotal role as a transport and transit hub for Central Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia, making it a highly promising destination under the Belt and Road Initiative. The new route perfectly aligns with Hong Kong Airlines’ current network strategy and will generate a synergistic effect with existing routes such as Xining and Hulunbuir. It is poised to play a significant role in fostering commercial ties and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and inland cities along the Belt and Road.

Hong Kong Airlines flight schedule* between Hong Kong and Lanzhou is as follows (All times local):

* The scheduled service between Hong Kong and Lanzhou is subject to government and regulatory approval.

* Flight number and schedule may change without prior notice.

Ticket reservation is now available on the Hong Kong Airlines website. For more details and sales, please visit www.hongkongairlines.com, or contact us via the Hong Kong Airlines Call Centre hotline (852) 3916 3666 (Hong Kong).

About Hong Kong Airlines

Established in 2006, Hong Kong Airlines is a full-service airline firmly rooted in Hong Kong. The airline flies to over 30 destinations across the Asia Pacific and North America, and currently maintains interline and codeshares with multiple airline partners and ferry service providers. Hong Kong Airlines operates an all-Airbus fleet. It has been awarded the internationally acclaimed four-star rating from Skytrax since 2011. For more information, please visit hongkongairlines.com or our social media channels on LinkedIn , Twitter , Instagram and Facebook .

As notified in the release published on 28 October, for the purposes of implementing a restructuring of its debts and liabilities, Hong Kong Airlines Limited (the “Company”) has obtained from the High Court of Hong Kong and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, orders to convene meetings of certain of its creditors in order to consider and, if thought fit, approve a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Sections 670, 673 and 674 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) of Hong Kong (the “Scheme”) and a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (UK) (the “Plan”) respectively.

In connection with the Scheme and the Plan, the Company published an explanatory statement for the Scheme and the Plan (the “Explanatory Statement”)  on 28 October 2022. The Company has then received feedback from certain of its creditors in respect of its restructuring, and has published a supplement to the Explanatory Statement (the “Supplement to the Explanatory Statement”) on 17 November 2022 to update its creditors on additional matters ahead of the Scheme Meetings and the Plan Meetings which will be convened on 25 November 2022 (and which are proposed to be adjourned to 1 December 2022).

In light of the updates as disclosed in the Supplement to the Explanatory Statement, the Company has decided to extend the deadline for submission of Proof of Debt and Proxy Forms and/or the Account Holder Letter for the purposes of voting on the Scheme and/or the Plan is, for all practical purposes, to 11.00 pm Hong Kong time (the equivalent time being 4.00 p.m. CET) on Tuesday, 29 November 2022.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Scheme Meetings and Plan Meetings will continue to be held on 25 November 2022 pursuant to the orders of the Hong Kong Court and the English Court, but the Chairperson will, upon opening the meetings, adjourn them for one week to the same start time on Thursday, 1 December 2022.

Creditors are welcome to attend the Scheme Meetings and Plan Meetings on 25 November 2022 if they so wish but the only business that will be undertaken at each such meeting will be the adjournment of the same by the Chairperson. Creditors will not be prejudiced by not attending the Scheme Meetings and Plan Meetings on 25 November 2022, but are encouraged to attend the reconvened meetings on 1 December 2022.

For Unsecured Creditors or Critical Lessors (as defined in the Explanatory Statement), in order to vote at the Scheme Meetings and the Plan Meetings, they should submit their duly completed and signed Proof of Debt and Proxy Form by email to PwC, as the UC and CL Information agent, at hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001), by no later than 11pm (Hong Kong time) on 29 November 2022.

For Perpetual Notes Creditors (as defined in the Explanatory Statement), in order to vote at the Plan Meetings, they should submit their duly completed and signed Account Holder Letter to Morrow Sodali Limited, as the PN Information Agent, via the AHL Portal: https://portal.morrowsodali.com/honair in accordance with the instructions set out in the Account Holder Letter and the Explanatory Statement, by no later than 11pm (Hong Kong time) on 29 November 2022, and submit a custody instruction via the Clearing Systems beforehand.

If any Creditor has already submitted their Proof of Debt and Proxy Form and/or an Account Holder Letter, but following the receipt of the Supplement to the Explanatory Statement wishes to amend their proxy directions, please contact the UC and CL Information Agent (in respect of Unsecured Creditors and Critical Lessors) and the PN Information Agent (in respect of the Perpetual Notes Creditors) immediately and, in any event, before 11.00 pm Hong Kong time (the equivalent time being 4.00 p.m. CET) on Tuesday, 29 November 2022.

Creditors may obtain copies of the Notice of Scheme Meetings, Notice of Plan Meetings, the Proof of Debt and Proxy Form, the Account Holder Letter, the Scheme document, the Plan document, the Explanatory Statement, the Supplement to the Explanatory Statement and other relevant information at: https://projects.morrowsodali.com/honair.  

For any questions in relation to the above, please contact:

- (if an Unsecured Creditor or a Critical Lessor) Mr. Jacky Wan, Mr. Ralph Kou or Ms. Sheryl Wong of PwC at: hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001) or at (+852) 2289 5117; or

- (if a Perpetual Noteholder) Morrow Sodali at honair@investor.morrowsodali.com or +852 2319 4130 (Hong Kong) / +44 20 4513 6933 (London).

For the purposes of implementing a restructuring of its debts and liabilities, Hong Kong Airlines Limited (the “Company”) has obtained from the High Court of Hong Kong and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, orders to convene meetings of certain of its creditors in order to consider and, if thought fit, approve a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Sections 670, 673 and 674 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) of Hong Kong (the “Scheme”) and a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (UK) (the “Plan”) respectively.

The meetings of creditors to consider and, if thought fit, approve the Scheme and the Plan will be held on 25 November 2022.

Creditors may obtain copies of the Notice of Scheme Meetings, Notice of Plan Meetings, the Proof of Debt and Proxy Form, the Account Holder Letter, the Scheme document, the Plan document, the explanatory statement for the Scheme and the Plan (the “Explanatory Statement”) and other relevant information at: https://projects.morrowsodali.com/honair.  

For Unsecured Creditor or a Critical Lessor (as defined in the Explanatory Statement), in order to vote at the Scheme Meetings and the Plan Meetings, they should submit their duly completed and signed Proof of Debt and Proxy Form by email to PwC, as the UC and CL Information agent, at hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001), by no later than 11pm (Hong Kong time) on 18 November 2022.

For Perpetual Noteholder (as defined in the Explanatory Statement), in order to vote at the Plan Meetings, they should submit their duly completed and signed Account Holder Letter to Morrow Sodali Limited, as the PN Information Agent, via the AHL Portal: https://portal.morrowsodali.com/honair in accordance with the instructions set out in the Account Holder Letter and the Explanatory Statement, by no later than 11pm (Hong Kong time) on 18 November 2022, and submit a custody instruction via the Clearing Systems beforehand.

Creditors are encouraged to carefully read the Explanatory Statement and the instructions set out in the Proof of Debt and Proxy Form and the Account Holder Letter (as applicable).

For any questions in relation to the above, please contact:

-  (if an Unsecured Creditor or a Critical Lessor) Mr. Jacky Wan, Mr. Ralph Kou or Ms. Sheryl Wong of PwC at: hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001) or at (+852) 2289 5117; or

-  (if a Perpetual Noteholder) Morrow Sodali at honair@investor.morrowsodali.com or +852 2319 4130 (Hong Kong) / +44 20 4513 6933 (London).

For the purposes of implementing the proposed restructuring of its debts and liabilities, Hong Kong Airlines Limited (the “Company”) is proposing to apply to the High Court of Hong Kong (the “Hong Kong Court”) and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales (the “UK Court”), seeking orders to convene meetings of certain of its creditors in order to consider and, if thought fit, approve a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Sections 670, 673 and 674 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) of Hong Kong (the “Proposed Hong Kong Scheme”) and a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (UK) (the “Proposed UK Plan”), respectively.

The hearing by the Hong Kong Court of the Company’s application in respect of the Proposed Hong Kong Scheme is currently scheduled to take place on 13 October 2022.

The hearing by the UK Court of the Company’s application in respect of the Proposed UK Plan (the “UK Convening Hearing”) is currently scheduled to take place on 25 October 2022.

Please note that persons who are beneficial owners of and/or owners of the ultimate economic interest in the US$683,000,000 7.125 Per Cent. Senior Perpetual Securities issued by Blue Skyview Company Limited will be creditors subject to the Proposed UK Plan, but not scheme creditors who are subject to the Proposed Hong Kong Scheme.

In connection with the Proposed UK Plan, the Company published a practice statement letter (the “Practice Statement Letter”) on 27 September 2022, which informs creditors of, amongst other things, its intention to formally propose the Proposed UK Plan and that the UK Convening Hearing is scheduled to take place on 25 October 2022.

A copy of the Practice Statement Letter has been sent by email, and via the clearing systems, to all known scheme / plan creditors.  

For a copy of the Practice Statement Letter and more information on the Proposed Hong Kong Scheme and the Proposed UK Plan, please visit the website at: https://projects.morrowsodali.com/honair. 

For the purposes of implementing a restructuring of its debts and liabilities, Hong Kong Airlines Limited (the “Company”) has proposed a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Sections 670, 673 and 674 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) of Hong Kong (the “Scheme”) and a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (UK) (the “Plan”). Reference is made to the Explanatory Statement in relation to the Scheme and the Plan dated 28 October 2022, the First Supplement to the Explanatory Statement dated 17 November 2022, and the Second Supplement to the Explanatory Statement dated 25 November 2022.

Following the approval of the Scheme and the Plan by Scheme Creditors and Plan Creditors present and voting either in person or by proxy at the Scheme Meetings and the Plan Meetings on 1 December 2022, the Company is pleased to announce that the Scheme was sanctioned by the Hong Kong Court on 14 December 2022 and that the Plan was sanctioned by the English Court on 9 December 2022. 

The Company expects the Scheme Effective Date and the Plan Effective Date to occur on Wednesday, 21 December 2022. The Company will give further notice to confirm the Scheme Effective Date and the Plan Effective Date subject to satisfaction of certain conditions in the Scheme and the Plan.

Creditors may also obtain copies of the sanction orders of the Scheme and the Plan, the Scheme document, the Plan document, the Explanatory Statement, the Supplement to the Explanatory Statement, the Second Supplement to the Explanatory Statement and other relevant information on the Restructuring Website (https://projects.morrowsodali.com/honair).  

For any questions in relation to the above, please contact:

-          (if an Unsecured Creditor or a Critical Lessor) Mr. Jacky Wan, Mr. Ralph Kou or Ms. Sheryl Wong of PwC at: hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001) or at (+852) 2289 5117; or

-           (if a Perpetual Noteholder) Morrow Sodali at honair@investor.morrowsodali.com or +852 2319 4130 (Hong Kong) / +44 20 4513 6933 (London).

As previously notified, for the purposes of implementing a restructuring of its debts and liabilities, Hong Kong Airlines Limited (the “Company”) has proposed a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Sections 670, 673 and 674 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) of Hong Kong (the “Scheme”) and a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (UK) (the “Plan”). Reference is made to the Explanatory Statement in relation the Scheme and the Plan dated 28 October 2022, the First Supplement to the Explanatory Statement dated 17 November 2022 and the Second Supplement to the Explanatory Statement dated 25 November 2022.

Creditors Meetings resumed on 1 December

On 1 December 2022, two Scheme Meetings and the three Plan Meetings were reconvened after being adjourned on 25 November 2022, for Creditors to consider and, if thought fit, approve the Scheme and the Plan (as applicable).

The Company is pleased to announce that the Scheme and the Plan have been approved by the Scheme Creditors and Plan Creditors present and voting either in person or by proxy at the Scheme Meetings and the Plan Meetings, respectively. Please refer to the Restructuring Website for detailed information: https://projects.morrowsodali.com/honair.  

The Scheme and the Plan will be subject to the subsequent approval and sanction of the Hong Kong Court and the English Court, respectively, and the satisfaction or waiver (if applicable) of the Restructuring Conditions as set out in the Explanatory Statement.

In relation to the Scheme, the sanction hearing for the Scheme by the Hong Kong Court (which date was previously fixed for 9 December 2022 at 3 p.m. Hong Kong time) has been re-listed on Wednesday, 14 December 2022 at 10 a.m. Hong Kong time.

In relation to the Plan, the sanction hearing for the Plan by the English Court is listed on Friday, 9 December 2022.

Creditors may also obtain copies of the Scheme document, the Plan document, the Explanatory Statement, the Supplement to the Explanatory Statement, the Second Supplement to the Explanatory Statement and other relevant information on the Restructuring Website. 

For any questions in relation to the above, please contact:

-          (if an Unsecured Creditor or a Critical Lessor) Mr. Jacky Wan, Mr. Ralph Kou or Ms. Sheryl Wong of PwC at: hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001) or at (+852) 2289 5117; or

-           (if a Perpetual Noteholder) Morrow Sodali at honair@investor.morrowsodali.com or +852 2319 4130 (Hong Kong) / +44 20 4513 6933 (London). 

For the purposes of implementing a restructuring of its debts and liabilities, Hong Kong Airlines Limited (the “Company”) has proposed a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Sections 670, 673 and 674 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) of Hong Kong (the “Scheme”) and a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (UK) (the “Plan”). 

After the sanction of the Scheme and the Plan as previously announced, the sealed sanction orders of the Hong Kong Court and the English Court have been filed with the Hong Kong Registrar of Companies and the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales on 15 December 2022 respectively.

The Company is pleased to confirm all Scheme Conditions and Plan Conditions have been satisfied and that accordingly both the Scheme Effective Date and the Plan Effective Date occurred on 21 December 2022.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Restructuring Effective Date has not occurred and the key provisions of the Scheme and the Plan that effect the compromises of the Scheme Creditors’ Scheme Claims (as defined in the Scheme) and the Plan Creditors’ Plan Claims (as defined in the Plan) will not take effect until the occurrence of the Restructuring Effective Date.

The Company will update its creditors in respect of the Scheme and the Plan, including the expected and actual occurrence of the Restructuring Effective Date, as and when appropriate.

Creditors may also obtain copies of relevant notices, the sanction orders of the Scheme and the Plan, the Scheme document, the Plan document and other relevant information on the Restructuring Website (https://projects.morrowsodali.com/honair).  

For any questions in relation to the above, please contact:

-          (if an Unsecured Creditor or a Critical Lessor) Mr. Jacky Wan, Mr. Ralph Kou or Ms. Sheryl Wong of PwC at: hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001) or at (+852) 2289 5117; or

-           (if a Perpetual Noteholder) Morrow Sodali at honair@investor.morrowsodali.com or +852 2319 4130 (Hong Kong) / +44 20 4513 6933 (London).

Mr Hou Wei, Chairman of Hong Kong Airlines recently led a delegation to the Okinawa Prefectural Office in Japan for a deepen cooperation on the Okinawa (Naha) route.

Hong Kong Airlines resumed flights to Okinawa in November last year and increased frequency from three times weekly to daily in December when the pandemic is essentially over.  With the recovery of tourism between the two places, Hong Kong Airlines is actively deploying more flights to Okinawa to further meet the travel needs of passengers.

Mr Hou pointed out that Hong Kong Airlines' Okinawa service has always been popular with passengers, with three flights daily before the pandemic. Since the flight resumption at the end of last year, the response from passengers has been overwhelming as evidenced by the high load performance. In view of this, it has been decided to increase the number of flight to two daily from May, and a third flight is planned for July.

On behalf of the prefectural government, Vice Governor of Okinawa Prefecture Mr Takekuni Ikeda thanked Hong Kong Airlines for its contribution to the exchange between the two places and to the Okinawa's international aviation and tourism.  He welcomed the Hong Kong Airlines' flight frequency addition and expressed that the prefectural government will continue to increase promotion of Okinawa in Hong Kong, and strengthen the cooperation with Hong Kong Airlines to foster for mutual benefits.

Mr Hou Wei, Chairman of Hong Kong Airlines (third from left) led a delegation meeting with Mr Takekuni Ikeda (fourth from left), Vice Governor of Okinawa Prefecture

Hong Kong Airlines and Okinawa Prefectural Office met for the Okinawa route frequency increase

Souvenir exchange

For the purposes of implementing a restructuring of its debts and liabilities, Hong Kong Airlines Limited (the “Company”) has proposed a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Sections 670, 673 and 674 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) of Hong Kong (the “Scheme”) and a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (UK) (the “Plan”). The Scheme and the Plan were approved by the Hong Kong Court and English Court on 14 and 9 December 2022 respectively. Reference is made to the explanatory statement dated 28 October 2022, as supplemented by the supplement to the explanatory statement dated 17 November 2022 and the second supplement to the explanatory statement dated 25 November 2022 (the “Explanatory Statement”) issued by the Company to the Scheme Creditors and the Plan Creditors. Capitalised terms used but not defined here have the meaning given to them in the Explanatory Statement, the Scheme and the Plan (as applicable).

Extension of the Longstop Date under the Scheme and the Plan to 30 April 2023

In accordance with Clause 1.6 of the Scheme and Clause 4.1(g) of the Plan, the Company and the Restructuring Administrators have agreed to extend the Longstop Date under the Scheme and the Plan to 30 April 2023 (the “Proposed Extension”). The Company expects that the Restructuring Effective Date will occur in advance of 30 April 2023.

A notice on extension of the longstop date has been circulated to the Scheme Creditors and Plan Creditors on 24 March 2023 (the “Notice”). Creditors have 5 Business Days from the date of the Notice to object to the Proposed Extension, with such period expiring at 23:59 (Hong Kong time) on 31 March 2023 (the “Longstop Veto Deadline”).

In accordance with the terms of the Scheme and the Plan, if (a) (in the case of both the Scheme and the Plan) Scheme Creditors holding no less than 25% in value of Scheme Claims in at least one class of Scheme Creditors, and (b) (in the case of the Plan only) Plan Creditors holding 25% in value of Plan Claims in at least two classes of Plan Creditors, object to the Proposed Extension prior to the Longstop Veto Deadline, the Proposed Extension shall not take effect and the Company shall issue a further notice to Restructuring Creditors notifying them of the same promptly after the Longstop Veto Deadline.

Creditors may also obtain copies of relevant notices, the sanction orders of the Scheme and the Plan, the Scheme document, the Plan document and other relevant information on the Restructuring Website (https://projects.morrowsodali.com/honair).

For any questions in relation to the above, please contact:

-          (if an Unsecured Creditor or a Critical Lessor) Mr. Jacky Wan, Mr. Ralph Kou or Ms. Sheryl Wong of PwC at: hk.projectsky@hk.pwc.com (quoting reference: 02076678/F001) or at (+852) 2289 5117; or

-           (if a Perpetual Noteholder) Morrow Sodali at honair@investor.morrowsodali.com or +852 2319 4130 (Hong Kong) / +44 20 4513 6933 (London).

Hong Kong Airlines has launched its new direct service connecting Hong Kong and Fukuoka to meet the soaring demand for this popular route and numerous destinations around Kyushu.

The four-time weekly service is operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft. Celebrations were held at both Hong Kong International Airport and Fukuoka International Airport today, to commemorate the official launch of this route. 

Passengers flying on the first flight to Fukuoka were presented with delightful souvenir bags to mark the occasion and show gratitude for their steadfast support of the route. Upon arrival at Fukuoka Airport, Hong Kong Airlines’ inaugural flight was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute. Representatives from Fukuoka Airport, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Kyushu Tourism Organisation warmly welcomed the passengers, flight crew, and representatives from Hong Kong Airlines. 

Hong Kong Airlines President Jeff SUN said, "Hong Kong Airlines is immensely proud to add this new route to its recovering network. Fukuoka serves as an important gateway to Kyushu, and launching this service would pave the road to enhance our promising future operations in the area." The company plans to resume service to Kagoshima this year to further strengthen its presence in the Kyushu region.  

With the addition of four-time weekly service to Fukuoka, Hong Kong Airlines currently operates five destinations in Japan, including  twice-daily flights to Osaka and Tokyo (Narita), daily service to Okinawa, and three-time weekly flights to Sapporo. Furthermore, the Company will begin operating flights twice daily to Okinawa from May, and three times daily to Tokyo (Narita) from June.

Hong Kong Airlines flight schedule* between Hong Kong and Fukuoka is as follows (All times local):

* Flight number and schedule may change without prior notice

For high-resolution photos, please download here: http://bitly.ws/CFoB