SAS is growing at CPH and opening up a direct year-round route to Hong Kong

Air traffic between Denmark and Asia has really taken off – both literally and metaphorically – since last year’s official China-Denmark Tourism Year.

SAS today announced that the company’s Hong Kong route will switch from Stockholm to Copenhagen. It will be a year-round route with five weekly services from Copenhagen to the Asian trade metropolis. The first flight will take off on 28 October.

Hong Kong is currently served by the Chinese operator Cathay Pacific as a half-year summer route with three weekly services. When Cathay Pacific closes down the route shortly before November, SAS will start up with five weekly services.

“It’s great news that SAS is growing at Copenhagen Airport,″ says Copenhagen Airport’s CEO, Thomas Woldbye. “And it’s great news for Danish business and leisure travellers that such an important destination as Hong Kong is now being served all year round.”

The new SAS route means that next summer there will be two companies flying to Hong Kong – SAS and Cathay Pacific. And Copenhagen Airport believes the market can probably support that.

“Experience shows that more people travel if they can fly direct – and that the number of passengers increases when there are more services to choose from,” says Thomas Woldbye.

Thomas Woldbye stresses that the China-Denmark Tourism Year of 2017 has really showed that Denmark is an interesting destination for travellers from e.g. Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. “But it requires good direct flight connections if the potential is to be realised – and that’s what we’re working on.”

On 30 May, Air China opened a route with four weekly services to Beijing, which SAS currently serves daily. On 2 May, Cathay Pacific opened a summer half-year route to Hong Kong with three weekly services. And now SAS is joining the route to Hong Kong with five weekly services from 28 October all year round. SAS also flies from Copenhagen to Shanghai daily.

Facts about SAS to Hong Kong

• The route will be served by an Airbus A340 with capacity for 247 passengers.
• The service will depart from Copenhagen on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 20:55 and arrive in Hong Kong at 14:45 local time the following day.
• The return flights from Hong Kong will be on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays departing at 01:20 (01:35 on Mondays) and arriving in Copenhagen at 06:20.