Jetstar suspends Singapore-Hong Kong flights over falling demand

SINGAPORE — Jetstar Asia said on Wednesday (Jan 29) that it will suspend its Singapore-Hong Kong flights due to falling demand. 

The budget airline said the suspension is not related to the Wuhan virus outbreak, with at least eight confirmed cases in Hong Kong. 

“This decision was made in response to ongoing falling demand and the need to ensure we maintain the highest productivity of our fleet,” said Jetstar in a media release.

“The aircraft will be redeployed to growth markets where there is strong demand such as Yangon, Clark, Manila and Osaka.”

In response to CNA's queries, a Jetstar spokesperson said that demand for services to Hong Kong had "reduced and not performing as we need it to". 

“After a review of our network, we made the decision to redeploy our aircraft to growth markets such as Okinawa and other destinations,” the spokesperson said. 

The last Singapore-Hong Kong flight will operate on Mar 28. 

There are currently no plans to resume flights to Hong Kong, the spokesperson added.

Hong Kong has been rocked by violent protests sparked by a now-abandoned Bill to allow extraditions to mainland China.

The seven month of protests have brought large areas of the international financial hub to a standstill, with airlines cutting back on flights to the city as travellers stayed away.

Though the frequency and ferocity of the protests have died down in recent months, political unrest still simmers in the city with violence breaking out at a rally earlier this month. CNA

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