Hong Kong Airlines fleet expansion on hold due to safety concerns

The plans to add more Hong Kong Airlines flights are in a limbo now. The fleet expansion plans for Hainan Airlines subsidiary Hong Kong Airlines has been put on hold by the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department because of safety concerns.

The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department said that Hong Kong Airlines would be required to meet all the safety requirements in order to operate a larger fleet. The department has also put stricter conditions on the airline regarding its air operator’s certificate limiting the types of aircraft it can fly.

According to the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department regulations Hong Kong Airlines will not be able to add any aircraft it wants to without prior approval from the department.

Currently, Hong Kong Airlines has a 21 aircraft fleet, including seven Airbus A330-200s, one A320, three A330-200 freighters, eight Boeing 737-800s and two Boeing 737-300Fs. The airline has indicated that it is not planning to cancel any aircraft orders now, but would be phasing out its older aircrafts.