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Cathay Pacific says demand for Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble flights was ‘overwhelming’, before Covid-19 fourth wave forced delay
- Carrier faces financial hit after suspension of service day before inaugural flight was expected to take off
- Analysts say route estimated to be worth HK$93 million in revenue to Cathay
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Cathay Pacific had almost sold out a few weeks worth of tickets for its Hong Kong-Singapore flights, it told analysts ahead of the launch of the now-postponed service, underscoring the financial setback for the carrier.
The airline revealed the strong performance of the travel bubble in a closed-door briefing with the investor community last Friday, a day before the route’s opening was delayed, and gave an update on its 2020 financial performance as the year end nears.
“The demand on our Singapore travel bubble flights is overwhelming,” Ronald Lam Siu-por, Cathay’s executive director, said. “In the next few weeks our flights are pretty much full. There is also a quota of 200 passengers per flight due to the limited capacity and high demand, our flights are pretty much sold out in the next few weeks.”
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On the eve of Sunday’s inaugural flight, the Hong Kong government postponed the quarantine-free travel corridor for two weeks as the fourth wave of coronavirus infections triggered a sharp rise in local, and untraceable, cases.
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Officials had previously agreed that if untraced Covid-19 infections in either city exceeded five on a rolling seven day average, the bubble would be suspended for two weeks. That was breached on Sunday, when Hong Kong reached 5.29.
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