The maiden flight will depart at 12.05pm on April 22, from Hong Kong Airport and arrives at Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 3.05pm the same day. The aircraft will subsequently depart at 3.50pm from Kota Kinabalu and reaching Hong Kong at 6.35pm.Hong Kong Express is currently offering direct flights twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The airline will use the Airbus 737-800 which provides eight business class seats and 156 economy seats.The company is based in Hong Kong. Among the routes it services are from Hong Kong to China, Japan, Taiwan, Moscow, Singapore, Bangkok, Vietnam and Bali.Currently there are only three airlines servicing this route, including Malaysia Airlines, Dragonair and AirAsia.It was learnt that Popular Express travel agency in Kota Kinabalu had chartered the Hong Kong Express in the past to bring in tourists from Hong Kong and China.It is expected that Hong Kong Express will bring in more tourists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as making it more convenient for locals who wish to visit the three countries.Sabah currently has six overseas airlines providing direct flights from Kota Kinabalu to international destinations, including Dragonair, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Silk Air and Cebu Pacific.

Lufthansa said it was reinstating its daily Airbus (EAD.PA) A340 flights to the Japanese capital from Frankfurt and Munich.In the light of the exceptional circumstances in Japan, these flights will be routed through Seoul,the carrier said.Lufthansa meanwhile is continuing to monitor developments in Japan carefully and remains in close contact with the relevant authorities.Travel to Japan was hobbled first by the earthquake and tsunami and later by concerns about nuclear radiation amid the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Other carriers have also scaled back service to Japan. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), for example, which runs more flights to Japan than any other U.S. carrier, said last week that it would suspend daily flights from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Los Angeles and Detroit. Delta said on Thursday its operations had not returned to normal.AMR Corp (AMR.N), parent of American Airlines, never altered service to Japan. An AMR spokesman said on Thursday its crews were still spending nights in Tokyo and that traffic was heavier out of Japan than into the country.

It has increased the flights’ capacity from March 16 to 19, he said.Air India has so far brought around 900 passengers to India from Japan since the country was hit with an earthquake and a tsunami last week, he said.An aviation official in Asia said there had been a sharp drop in demand to fly to Japan coupled with a rush to leave. And private jet companies said they were inundated with requests for help with evacuation.In addition to the flight to Tokyo, Air India also has three flights a week to Osaka, which continue to operate as per schedule.

PAL said it continues to closely monitor developments in Japan from both its outstations as well as relevant government agencies.Be assured that it is PAL’s corporate policy to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew at all times,the statement declared.To date, PAL remains the largest carrier operating between the Philippines and Japan, with 32 flights weekly between six points – daily from Manila to Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, fives times weekly to Fukuoka, and six times weekly from Cebu to Tokyo.

Tokyo flights have also been canceled, with the service between Taipei’s Songshan International Airport and Narita International Airport canceled from Tuesday until Saturday, and the return leg canceled from Wednesday to Monday. Flights between Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda airport are canceled for Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, March 23, 25, 27 and 30.Flights to and from Sendai, which sustained heavy tsunami damage, have been canceled until June 30.

A larger 747-400 has recently been deployed on the Tokyo route, increasing capacity by 25 per cent.Air New Zealand delayed one flight into Japan over the weekend, but flights are operating as usual, a spokesman said.Nearly 88,000 Japanese tourists visited New Zealand in 2010.

Jamie Cassidy, British Airway’s general manager in the Asia Pacific region, said: Today is a historic day for British Airways as we start our new route from Haneda, which complements our existing service from Narita.He added that the route will provide travellers with more choice and flexibility when travelling to Japan from the UK.Haneda airport underwent a major refurbishment in 2010 with the opening of a new international passenger terminal.