Hong Kong Airlines has enhanced its presence in Australia and New Zealand with the launch of a major new codeshare partnership with Virgin Australia.

The new agreement will enable the airline’s passengers to fly to 10 destinations across the two countries.  This follows an agreement signed in February 2017 that saw HNA Group, Hong Kong Airlines’ parent company, purchase a stake in Virgin Australia.

On 5 July 2017, Virgin Australia will launch five weekly flights between Melbourne and Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Airlines will codeshare on this route. The Asian carrier will also place its “HX” flight code on trans-Tasman flights from the Gold Coast and Melbourne to Auckland, and from Melbourne and Christchurch.

Hong Kong Airlines will also codeshare on Virgin Australia’s domestic routes from Melbourne to Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Sydney, Gold Coast and Darwin, from Sydney to Gold Coast and Cairns, from Brisbane to Cairns, and from Gold Coast to Adelaide.

Meanwhile, Virgin Australia passengers will be able to book onward travel to destinations in mainland China under an interline agreement with Hong Kong Airlines.

All these codeshare and interline services will open for sale in late June.