East Asia Airlines and Heli Hong Kong are proposing the establishment of a new "Delta Alliance" rotary-wing regional service to open up helicopter access to southern China from neighbouring Hong Kong and Macau for the first time.
Macau-based East Asia and its Hong Kong sister company are in discussion with the Chinese authorities to establish an integrated network of visual flight rules and instrument flight rules helicopter routes to major economic centres around the Pearl River Delta. In conjunction with the proposal, the Hong Kong Government is being urged to expand its existing city helipad and construct a full commercial heliport.
"I see a real need for regional transport in southern China, but there are very few airports and so a rotary wing service makes the most sense. Our idea is to start a service from Macau to southern China first and then extend it to Hong Kong," explains East Asia chief executive Andrew Tse.
The plan would represent a significant expansion of East Asia's eight-year shuttle service between Hong Kong and Macau, 74km (40nm) to the west. The proposed new network would link with the provincial capital of Guangzhou, just over 30min flying time north, as well the important industrial destinations of Dongguan, Panyu and Shenzhen.
East Asia now operates three Sikorsky S-76C+s, while Heli Hong Kong will take delivery of a fourth 12-seat machine at the end of the year. "We would start with a S-76 and, if demand were justified, we would look at expanding this to a 19-seat Sikorsky S-92," says Tse. There is also interest in the Bell 609, which could reduce flight time from Hong Kong to Guangzhou to "less than 30min", he adds.
The tentatively designated Delta Alliance first needs to overcome a number of major hurdles, of which Chinese approval for low level flights through military controlled airspace is the most formidable. "It depends very much on the Chinese military and air traffic control authorities. We're making progress, but it is slow," acknowledges Tse.
Source: Flight International