Greater Bay Airlines Company Limited (GBA), commonly known as Greater Bay Airlines (Chinese: 大灣區航空有限公司), is a Hong Kong–based carrier established in 2020.[6] The company's inaugural passenger flight (from Hong Kong to Bangkok) was conducted in July 2022.[1]
Greater Bay Airlines was founded on May 24, 2010, as a subsidiary of East Pacific (Holdings) Ltd., initially known as Donghai Airlines. The company went through several name changes, becoming Donghai Airlines (Hong Kong) Limited on January 17, 2019, then Hong Kong Bauhinia Airlines on December 5, 2019, and finally Greater Bay Airlines on July 8, 2020.[8][9][6]
During the certification process, the airline faced delays due to concerns raised by competitors Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines.[10] However, by February 2021, these concerns were addressed, and the airlines submitted position statements instead of objections to Greater Bay Airlines' application.[11]
Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Greater Bay Airlines initially focused on cargo services.[12] In September 2021, Greater Bay Airlines received its first aircraft, an ex-Norwegian Air International 2017-build Boeing 737-800 leased from the company ICBC Financial Leasing.[10] It obtained its Air Operator's Certificate in October 2021 and began charter flights in November the same year. Its first charter flight, on 29 November 2021, was a same-day round trip from Hong Kong to Bangkok.[13][14]
In February 2022, the airline was granted the Air Transport License of Hong Kong, allowing it to operate scheduled flights. A second aircraft was leased in March 2022, deviating from the original plan of seven aircraft.[15][16]
Greater Bay Airlines launched its first passenger flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok in July 2022. As of February 2024, the airline operates scheduled services to seven destinations: Manila, Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and Osaka.[1]
The airline has been chaired by founder Bill Wong since its founding in 2010. The current CEO is Liza Ng, who replaced Stanley Hui on 1 April.[17] Like her predecessors, Ng previously worked at Dragonair and Cathay Pacific.[17]