How does an airline decide where to fly? It’s a good question, and one that has been preoccupying our Planning team as we rebuild our network and add capacity after the pandemic.

“The first thing we consider is market size,” explains Ruize Zhao, Head of Passenger Network. His team has access to various data platforms that show the volume of passengers around the world. Yet, using past data is not always enough for a route to be successful. “It involves a lot of forecasting too,”

he says. “We’re trying to identify a positive trend.”

What’s different for us compared to some other airlines is that connections into and out of our Hong Kong hub are equally as crucial, which involves a lot of balancing. Christchurch, which makes a welcome return this month, is a great example. It’s a popular leisure destination, and we plan to operate three times weekly to catch the Southern Hemisphere summer.

“We don’t just look at local demand between Hong Kong and Christchurch; we also look at demand beyond this route,” he says. “With Christchurch,

I would also consider the demand and connectivity from Europe and the Chinese Mainland, for instance.”

If there is a case to start a route, the next step is to look at resources: ground support, aircraft and the crew to fly them. “We look at the distance and what aircraft would be most suitable depending on the flying distance and customer profile for the specific route,” he says. For the Christchurch route, the aircraft of choice is the Airbus A350.

“The size of an A350-900 is about right,” Zhao says. “And we also have the flexibility to upgrade to the bigger A350-1000, which carries more passengers, if demand is higher than expected.”