Hong Kong Airlines goes to ‘critical survival mode’, flying only eight jets

Hong Kong Airlines will stand down its fleet of Airbus A320s until mid-2022 and operate a skeletal fleet of just eight A330s on cargo flights, as the embattled carrier enters what it calls “a critical survival mode”. The airline confirmed reports of a wide-ranging restructuring — its latest in more than a year — in a statement to FlightGlobal. <br/>The latest round of restructuring, which HKA says is “imperative to transform…into a leaner and more efficient organisation”, will also see staff numbers cut further. HKA says it will ground all A320s for one year from July. Cirium fleets data indicates that the carrier has a fleet of 11 A320s, of which 10 are in storage. “In view of the low travel demand in the foreseeable year, our active fleet will comprise of around eight A330 aircraft to support our belly cargo operation and limited passenger services,” the carrier, partially owned by now-bankrupt Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, discloses. <br/>