Qantas through Hong Kong to Heathrow

Australia’s air services watchdog has granted Qantas Airways Ltd the right to operate daily air services through Hong Kong to the United Kingdom.
The ruling comes after the International Air Services Commission (IASC) took the unusual step in May of inviting public submissions on Qantas’ application due to the historical difficulty in securing rights on the route.
The flights only became available after the Australian and Hong Kong governments struck a bilateral air services agreement in April that allows Australian operators to use Hong Kong as a stopover en route to London for the first time.
The IASC said it had not received any applications for the capacity sought by Qantas.
Under the ruling, Qantas must operate at least three services per week beyond Hong Kong to the UK by November 1, and four services a week by November 1 next year.
The capacity must be fully utilised by the beginning of the 2006 northern summer scheduling period.
Qantas can use the capacity to provide services with its code share partner British Airways.