START-UP carrier Oasis Hong Kong Airlines believes the low-cost model can be adapted to long-haul flights.
Oasis will launch a five times a week service between Gatwick and Hong Kong from mid-October with one-way fares at a starting price of £75.
Head of international distribution Lesley Hagan said 10% of seats would be sold at this price, plus tax and charges. “It’s not an introductory fare, it will be available for a year,” she said.
Hagan declined to give other details prior to the airline’s official launch on September 6, but she conceded Oasis would add a fuel surcharge of about £35 and airport and security charges, air passenger duty and other taxes totalling £33, taking the lowest one-way fare to about £143.
Oasis will fly two Boeing 747-400s bought from Singapore Airlines, offering 81 business-class cradle seats and 278 economy seats.
“We’ll offer a very good basic product with a choice of add-ons,” said Hagan.
Passengers will pay extra for advance seat reservation, lounge access, amenity kits, a wider choice of food, and drinks other than tea, coffee and water. Hagan said: “We’ll keep costs low and use the best of the low-cost model, operating point-to-point.”
However, she said Oasis could not cut turnaround times to the 30 minutes achieved by short-haul carriers or make savings through high aircraft use without launching further routes.
The airline is seeking another four Boeing 747s and has licences to operate between Hong Kong and Berlin, Cologne, Bonn, Milan, Oakland (San Francisco) and Chicago.
Hagan said: “We’ll work closely with the trade and pay commission.”
Oasis anticipates a 15% increase in the market between London and Hong Kong. Finance has come from Chinese-American property developers Mr and Mrs Raymond Lee, and Allan Wong, founder of consumer electronics company VTech.