Hong Kong Airlines will begin a thrice-weekly service to Australia in 2016.

From January 6, 2016, the airline will operate a new route between Hong Kong, the Gold Coast and Cairns.

The new service will operate on Tuesdays, Fridays on Saturdays on an A330 aircraft featuring a two-class configuration of 32 seats in business class and 260 economy seats.

Flight HX015 will depart Hong Kong at 2130, arriving in the Gold Coast at 0830; the next leg, HX16, will take off from the Gold Coast at 1030 and land in Cairns at 1245. A quick turnaround will see flight HX16 leave Cairns at 1350 and reach Hong Kong at 1910.

The new route reflects Hong Kong Airlines’ confidence in the growing demand for travel to Australia.

“Leveraging our connectivity in Asia via the international hub in Hong Kong, we believe the new service will be well received by the passengers, especially those from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Okinawa, Bangkok and Taipei,” said the airline’s commercial director, Li Dianchun. www.hongkongairlines.com