Hong Kong Airlines is discontinuing scheduled services to Los Angeles and trimming its wider network.

The carrier said it has been “operating in a challenging business environment for some time” and so has been forced to “further consolidate its network to respond to the current situation”. It blamed tough competition, overcapacity in the market and the recent anti-government protests taking place in Hong Kong for the cuts.

The Los Angeles route is scheduled to end on 8 February 2020 although Hong Kong Airlines said it would monitor the market to determine if the route must be suspended earlier. The service is currently the carrier’s only one to the US after its flights to San Francisco were suspended in October.

In addition, Hong Kong Airlines’ wider operations will be trimmed by about 6 percent, with frequency reductions expected across a number of routes. It said affected passengers would be offered alternative arrangements to minimise disruptions to travel plans, especially during the holiday season.

Hong Kong Airlines launched the route to Los Angeles in December 2017, just months after beginning its first North American service to Vancouver.

OAG Schedules Analyser shows the airline currently operates the route four times per week using Airbus A350-900 aircraft, offering 2,672 weekly two-way seats. It competes against Cathay Pacific Airways and American Airlines.

For the w/c 4 November 2019, Hong Kong Airlines operates 50 routes from its Hong Kong International base, with the most capacity deployed on its services to Tokyo Narita and Taipei Taiwan Taoyuan.