Demand for Hong Kong flights has ‘stabilised’, says Singapore Airlines boss Goh Choon Phong
- But CEO also says it’s ‘too early to say’ if a recovery is under way in the market for air travel to the protest-hit city
- A number of major carriers have been forced to slash or adjust services as sometimes violent unrest grips the Chinese financial hub
Singapore Airlines on Wednesday said the continuing anti-government unrest in Hong Kong had left only a “relatively minor” dent in its financial performance amid concerns in the region about the impact on businesses.
Chief executive Goh Choon Phong said it was “too early to say” whether a recovery was under way in the market for travel to the protest-hit city, despite several airlines based outside the region noting an uptick in demand to levels not seen since the turmoil began.
“Of course, there was a decline in demand and it has stabilised,” Goh said at an event for the release of the firm’s half-year results for the 2019-2020 financial year.
Hong Kong is the second biggest destination for customers of Singapore’s national airline in terms of the number of seats the carrier makes available for sale.
The airline, a bellwether for Asian carriers, on Wednesday said it had seen strong demand in the form of advanced bookings across its network compared to the same period last year, bucking the negative outlook in the industry.