Virgin Australia to abandon Hong Kong flights

First Qantas announced it was culling its flights to China and now Virgin Australia says it will end all flights to Hong Kong from next month.

Virgin flies daily Airbus A330 flights from both Melbourne and Sydney to Hong Kong. 

It will end Melbourne-Hong Kong flights on February 11 given ongoing and sometimes violent political protests in Hong Kong reduced demand and made the route unprofitable.

With the unpredictable coronavirus further reducing demand in the region, the Sydney-Hong Kong flight is also now also going. The Sydney-Hong Kong route will cease operations from March 2. 

"Hong Kong has continued to be a challenging market," said Virgin Australia Group Chief Commercial Officer John MacLeod. 

"With a decline in demand following ongoing civil unrest, and growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in the wider region, we have made the decision to withdraw services.” 

With Virgin’s withdrawal, Qantas and Cathay Pacific will have a duopoly on flights between Australia and Hong Kong.