New flight path to Hong Kong to save time, cut emissions

About eight million passengers flying to Hong Kong each year will save up to 14 minutes on their journey time thanks to the rerouting of a northern flight path. The new air path, in effect from October 22, will help about 150 flights—from mainland China, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East—to cut up to 210 kilometers off their trips, a total saving of more than 10 million kilometers per year. The Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong said it could not predict whether the savings would lead to a reduction in the fuel surcharge, a levy imposed on air passengers, which has recently risen by three percent. (October 3, 2009)