Transiting through mainland China for long-haul flights from Hong Kong has become an alternative to routes stopping in the Middle East amid safety concerns caused by the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, according to travel agents in Hong Kong.

Alex Lee Chun-ting, general manager of Miramar Travel, told the South China Morning Post that the conflict initially dampened interest in summer long-haul tours to Europe. However, he now expects a 3% year-on-year increase in such tours. Lee attributed this to safety worries about flying over the Middle East and higher airfares, which have made travelers hesitant to use Gulf region routes. Instead, many are opting for direct long-haul flights or routes transiting through mainland China, which has pushed up demand and prices.

Lee also noted that some mainland airlines have responded by offering group discounts for tours departing from Hong Kong with stopovers in Shanghai or Beijing before continuing to Europe. This has absorbed some demand that would otherwise have gone to Middle Eastern airlines.

For popular destinations like London, Lee observed that economy flights transiting through the mainland were on average HK$1,000 to HK$2,000 (US$127 to US$255) cheaper than direct flights from Hong Kong during the peak summer season, excluding fuel surcharges and taxes.

Carmen Chan Hiu-nam, director and chief operating officer of Goldjoy Holidays, said about 50% of its European tour customers chose to continue their trips via mainland transit in March and April, a figure she considered low.

Lee acknowledged that the emergence of mainland transit as an alternative route was unexpected and largely driven by the war, alongside improvements in mainland airlines and airports that have made cross-border services more attractive to Hong Kong travelers.

Industry leaders caution, however, that while fares may be cheaper via mainland transit, these savings could be offset by higher fuel surcharges.

Sources