Flashback: When Hong Kong To Taipei Was One Of The World’s Busiest Routes

Up to now 20 years, the 501 miles (807 km) between Hong Kong and Taipei had an common of 35 every day passenger flights every manner, a large quantity. Excluding the pandemic interval, it was 40 every day. And, in fact, widebody plane had been commonplace, such was the historic recognition – and necessity – of the market.

Hong Kong’s important position

For a few years, flights weren’t permitted between China and Taiwan, forcing passengers to fly through someplace en route. Hong Kong was extraordinarily vital for this, together with Macau.

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Hong Kong’s significance as a gateway regularly decreased as continuous China-Taiwan providers had been permitted. Initially, solely restricted charters had been allowed, whereas scheduled flights might function from 2009. By 2019, there have been 95 China-Taiwan routes, in response to OAG information. They concerned 54 airports in China and 5 in Taiwan, with 13.5 million seats on the market.

Photograph: Simon Tang I Shutterstock.

As China-Taiwan capability rose, Hong Kong-Taiwan declined. Nonetheless, it stays a massively vital marketplace for point-to-point demand and connections between Taiwan and different international locations.

Snapshot: June twenty second, 2013

This text was written on June twenty second, 2023, a day with 22 Hong Kong-Taipei passenger flights. A decade in the past, there have been 44, although it was not the identical day of the week and is, due to this fact, a barely unfair comparability. Utilizing OAG to look at all schedules worldwide reveals that it was the world’s tenth most-served airport pair that day.

It’s damaged down as follows. Widebody plane operated 40 of the 44 flights, a whopping 91%. They included six by the venerable Boeing 747-400 and three by the A340-300. The huge exercise and excessive common seats per flight (296) meant that the day had over 13,000 seats on the market every manner

Airways

Passenger flights: June twenty second, 2013*

Plane that day (flights)

Cathay Pacific

17 every day

A330-300 (9), 777-300 (three), A340-300 (two), 777-200 (two), 747-400 (one)

China Airways

12 every day

A330-200 (seven), 747-400 (two), 737-800 (two), A340-300 (one)

EVA Air

Eight every day

A330-200 (4), B747-400 Combi (three), A321 (one)

Hong Kong Airways

4 every day

A330-200 (three), A330-300 (one)

Dragonair (as was)

Two every day

A330-300 (one), A320 (one)

Thai Airways

Each day (starting in Bangkok)

A330-300

* Double for each methods

Photograph: Soos Jozsef I Shutterstock.

June twenty second, 2013: flights till midday

I get pleasure from seeing a day’s schedule, particularly if it entails now-rare plane, quite a few widebodies, or a mess of operators. Discover the interval between 10:30 and 11:40, with 4 747-400s:

  • 07:25: Cathay Pacific, A330-300
  • 07:30: EVA Air, A321
  • 08:10: Dragonair, A320
  • 08:20: China Airways, A330-300
  • 08:25: Cathay Pacific, 777-300
  • 09:10: Cathay Pacific, A340-300 (continued to Nagoya)
  • 09:35: Hong Kong Airways, A330-300
  • 09:50: EVA Air, A330-200
  • 10:00: Cathay Pacific, 777-300 (continued to Tokyo Narita)
  • 10:15: China Airways, 737-800
  • 10:30: Cathay Pacific, 747-400
  • 11:05: China Airways, 747-400
  • 11:10: EVA Air, 747-400 Combi
  • 11:40: China Airways, 747-400
Hong Kong Airlines A330

Photograph: Omid Behzadpour I Shutterstock.

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June twenty second, 2013: flights after midday

Whereas Cathay Pacific flights had been essentially very frequent, discover two at 13:20 and 13:30, of which the primary continued to Osaka.

  • 12:05: Hong Kong Airways, A330-200
  • 12:15: Cathay Pacific, A330-300
  • 12:50: China Airways, 737-800
  • 13:20: Cathay Pacific, 777-200 (continued to Osaka)
  • 13:25: China Airways, A330-300
  • 13:30: Cathay Pacific: A330-300
  • 13:40: EVA Air, A330-200
  • 14:25: Cathay Pacific, A330-300 (continued to Seoul)
  • 14:55: Cathay Pacific, 777-300 (continued to Fukuoka)
  • 15:30: EVA Air, A330-200
  • 15:35: China Airways, A330-300
  • 15:55: Cathay Pacific, A330-300
  • 16:30: Cathay Pacific, A330-300
  • 17:05: EVA Air, 747-400 Combi
  • 17:35: China Airways, A340-300
  • 17:40: Hong Kong Airways, A330-200
  • 17:45: Cathay Pacific, A330-300
  • 18:30: Dragonair, A330-300
  • 18:40: Cathay Pacific, A340-300
  • 19:10: China Airways, A330-300
  • 19:25: EVA Air, 747-400 Combi
  • 19:25: Cathay Pacific, A330-300
  • 20:00: Cathay Pacific, 777-200
  • 20:10: China Airways, A330-300
  • 20:25: Thai Airways, A330-300
  • 21:00: EVA Air, A330-200
  • 21:30: China Airways, A330-300
  • 22:15: China Airways, A330-300
  • 22:50: Cathay Pacific, A330-300
  • 23:30: Hong Kong Airways, A330-200

Have you ever flown between the 2 cities? In that case, on which plane? Tell us within the feedback.


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