The budget airline welcomed its first Airbus A321neo aircraft yesterday, with 15 more arriving in the next two years.

The new aircraft will fly between Hong Kong and Bangkok from Sunday.

A321neo has the longest fuselage among all A320 aircraft and can accommodate 236 passengers – six more than the current A321ceo.

Passengers can enjoy 45-centimeterwide seats, a wider aisle and sufficient overhead storage space, the airline said.

The new aircraft – with the latest engines and innovations – can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 percent per seat.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the state-of-the-art A321neo aircraft to our fleet at this critical time as demand for international travel remains robust,” said HK Express chief Mandy Ng Kit-man yesterday.

“The upgrade marks another milestone in our history as we continue to expand our footprint in Asia, while remaining committed to modernizing our operations for a better and more sustainable future.”

HK Express currently operates 27 aircraft, including five Airbus A320ceo, 10 A320neo, 11 A321ceo and one A321neo, with an average age of 5.7 years.

The airline expects flight frequency to return to prepandemic level of over 400 a week and may reach over 500 in the summer. It is recruiting 500 aircrew, including 180 pilots and more than 300 flight attendants.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Airlines said it will operate a four-times-a-week service between the city and Phuket from June 16 ahead of the summer travel season.

Flight HX741 will depart from Hong Kong at 8.20pm and arrive in Phuket at 11.05pm every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

While flight HX742 will fly from Phuket at 12.05am and back to the SAR at 4.50am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Travelers can book tickets on the website now.

The airline will also launch a new route to Fukuoka, Japan from April 7.