Air Hong Kong has completed its transition into an all Airbus A330 freighter fleet. The fully-owned Cathay Group subsidiary operates an overnight express parcels service for its prime customer DHL Express, which is based at Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Cargo acts as a general sales agent for any spare capacity in its operations. 

The carrier has been on a seven-year re-fleeting programme, replacing its ageing A300-600Fs with a mix of passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions and a smaller number of factory-built freighters. The fleet now comprises ten A330-300P2Fs and four A330-200Fs. In June, the final A300 left the fleet – an occasion marked by a YouTube video recording the aircraft’s final rotation between Hong Kong and Osaka with insights to life as an Air Hong Kong pilot.

DHL Express Senior Vice President for Network Operations & Aviation – Asia Pacific, Peter Bardens, added: “The A300-600F was instrumental to our robust aviation network for many years. As we bid farewell to this valued member of our fleet, we are excited to welcome a new chapter with this new generation of freighters.”

Happy ending, new beginnings

Chief Operating Officer Clarence Tai has overseen the transition since taking on the role in 2020 and says he has been emotionally and pragmatically attached to the programme, which saw Air Hong Kong become the first carrier in the world to operate an A330P2F. “I’m really pleased to see it come to this happy ending,” he says. 

Naturally, there have been challenges. In the same way that it had become difficult to source certified, high-quality parts for the A300s that would satisfy the regulator, supply chain shocks have also made parts an issue with the newer A330s too. “Normally you would expect the entry into service programme – which includes checks, test flights, applications to authorities and so on – to take around three weeks,” says Tai. “But inevitably there have been unplanned issues that required parts, which added to the time needed and we had to balance the needs of our customers while being down an aircraft that we would have expected to be flying.” 

The new aircraft not only offer more capacity – with payloads and volumes up by 25 per cent and significant improvements in fuel economy – they also offer greater range. This opens up the potential to explore new markets beyond the existing intra-Asian network of 14 destinations it operates for DHL Express. To date, these have included services to Bahrain and, more recently, Sydney.

Like the A300s, Tai will also be departing Air Hong Kong shortly and is pleased that he leaves behind not only a modernised fleet for his successor, but an enhanced company culture and a renewed sense of positivity on the flight deck. 

“We’ve been able to build and maintain a good atmosphere and culture in Air Hong Kong – especially with our pilots,” Tai says. “During COVID, many overseas pilots left Hong Kong, and we’ve been able to recruit a lot of local Hong Kong Chinese pilots. When I joined, we had four; now we have around 40, and they’re our biggest phalanx of my pilot group. It’s been interesting transitioning them into our company and culture because of our unique operations. These are people who worked previously under the sun with their old carriers, and now they chase the moon at night with us. It’s gone very well, and we are also very happy that many of our overseas pilots chose to stay with us after COVID as they form the backbone of our flying operation.” 

High performance

This sense of contentment extends to Air Hong Kong’s punctuality figures. On-time performance is currently at 98.3 per cent, a statistic appreciated by DHL Express. With a modernised fleet, these standards will be easier to maintain – supported by a business model with fewer distractions than other carriers. “One thing that I’ll miss beyond the team and the culture is the simplicity and focus of Air Hong Kong,” says Tai, who will be moving on to Cathay Group stablemate HK Express in a business development role. “At Air Hong Kong, we’re able to concentrate solely on delivering for our two corporate customers, which means focusing on good on-time performance, safety and operational excellence.”

The future looks set for continued success. “We’re still very confident about the future as we’re a very good performer for DHL Express. We see ourselves as one of the best express carriers, and we position ourselves as a growing ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) operator.”

The story is set to continue.