Oasis Hong Kong suffers delay
Budget long haul carrier Oasis Hong Kong Airlines was forced to postpone its inaugural flight from London due to a last minute hitch.
A 24-hour delay was caused by the refusal of Russian authorites to allow over-flying rights.
The first inbound flight is now due to land at Gatwick this evening, with the first outbound departure at 20.10.
To coincide with the launch, the airline revealed that than three quarters of seats have been sold online.
The carrier, offering tickets starting at £75 plus taxes one-way, claims to have sold 20,000 seats since tickets went on sale on September 6, with 77% of UK sales being made online.
Oasis plans four flights a week from Gatwick in the first month, rising to a daily frequency by the end of November.
The airline hopes to fly around 8,500 passengers to Hong Kong each month.
Besides the lead-in economy fare, Oasis is offering a premium business class, businessOasis, for £470 plus tax one-way.
The airline will also fly to Oakland, California in early 2007 and to other European and North American cities including Cologne/Bonn, Milan, Berlin and Chicago.
CEO Stephen Miller said: “Low fare air travel has already proved a great success in Europe, yet there is clearly an opportunity in the market for a low fare, long haul operator. Our strong ticket sales in the UK indicate that we are primed to fill that gap and we look forward to extending our offer to hubs in Europe and North America.
“Our unique business model, which mixes low fares with personalised options and high quality service, has resonated strongly with people in the UK, and we are very confident in the future profitability of our business and in the demand for our service.”
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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