Virgin Australia to launch new flights to Hong Kong

Virgin Australia will begin flights from Sydney to Hong Kong July 2, which will join its existing service from Melbourne to Hong Kong. The carrier had previously signalled it wanted to start the Sydney flights this year as it expands its reach in the Greater China market. Virgin Australia regards Hong Kong as its gateway to mainland China, thanks to existing connections with partner Hong Kong Airlines. Virgin has also revealed it will be adding an interline agreement with Hong Kong Express, which like Hong Kong Airlines is an affiliate of the HNA Group. HNA is a major shareholder in Virgin Australia. The Hong Kong Express interline flights will be sold by Virgin starting later this month, and will allow passengers from Sydney and Melbourne to connect to other Asian destinations beyond Hong Kong. <br/>