Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Thursday said there's room for improvement in the performance of Greater Bay Airlines which has announced the cancellation of 128 flights in February and March.

Speaking at a media gathering, Chan said the airline could have done better with flight arrangements.

The transport minister also said the government will try to help the company, which faces operational difficulties, as much as possible, but that officials won't give special treatment to individual firms.

She added that the carrier should minimise the inconvenience caused, and rebuild confidence among passengers.

The CEO of Greater Bay Airlines said Lunar New Year services will not be affected.

Liza Ng apologised on a Commercial Radio programme for the flight cancellations, blamed on a delay in the arrival of new aircraft and planned inspections of planes.

Ng admitted that the airline could have done better at informing those customers affected.

"Because we notified all 5,500 passengers about the cancellations at the same time, by doing so, they will definitely be nervous as it will affect their trip," she said.

"When they called us, our staff might not have been able to pick up their calls immediately, making them more anxious. In this case, our customer service didn't handle the incident too well."

Ng said the airline has boosted manpower and will look at setting up more communication channels for keeping customers informed of developments.

Meanwhile, an academic who specialises in aviation transport told RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme that it's usual practice for airlines to start selling tickets for flights involving new aircraft that have yet to be delivered.

Achim Czerny, a professor at Polytechnic University's department of logistics and maritime studies, said buying new planes is a massive investment and the aircraft must be fully utilised as quickly as possible.

"The aircraft deliveries, the airline business is a relatively complex business, and the performance of an airline depends on many players along the supply chain, for instance, aircraft manufacturers," he added.

"And that's certainly something that's not entirely under the control of the airline."

Tourism sector lawmaker Perry Yiu told RTHK it is crucial that Greater Bay Airlines reviews its flight scheduling, as well as the destinations it flies to.

He said the airline only has a fleet of eight planes and this means there isn't much flexibility to make temporary adjustments.

"After the airline opened new routes, the changes in local environment, political situation, or all kinds of negative news will affect the overall passenger traffic. These are unpredictable," he said.

"To be honest, it's also challenging for the airline, as well as the tourism sector, because a destination that used to be a popular tourist hotspot might have drastic changes."

The airline said this week that it is considering ending its flights to Seoul because of an unsatisfactory performance.
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Last updated: 2025-01-23 HKT 17:04