TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Cathay to buy Hong Kong's only budget carrier, SCMP reports
Change Size
An announcement on the acquisition of Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd. is expected to be made as early as today, the report said, adding that the sources didn’t elaborate on details including financial terms. (Bloomberg/File)
C
athay Pacific Airways Ltd. agreed to buy Hong Kong’s only budget carrier to expand into the no-frills market, the South China Morning Post said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
An announcement on the acquisition of Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd. is expected to be made as early as today, the report said, adding that the sources didn’t elaborate on details including financial terms. Cathay shares rose as much as 3.3 percent to HK$13.76 in early trading in Hong Kong.
Read also: Cathay Pacific makes second first class blunder in two weeks
A Cathay representative declined to comment. Cathay said March 5 that it’s in “active discussions” with HNA Group Co. about an acquisition involving Hong Kong Express. HNA declined to comment.
Cathay is embracing a market segment it previously rejected, partly because demand on some of its routes has switched to budget carriers. The Asia Pacific region’s burgeoning market will probably see the largest increase in air traffic worldwide, with almost 4 billion passenger journeys expected in the next two decades.
Cathay is on the last leg of a three-year transformation program to turn its fortunes around amid increasing competition from China and budget carriers.
