Greater Bay Airlines (HB), based at Hong Kong International Airport, has applied for a US Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP) to launch scheduled flights from Hong Kong to Saipan, with plans to extend service to Guam International, pending the delivery of its delayed Boeing 737-9 aircraft.
The airline intends to begin flights to Saipan—the capital of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a US unincorporated territory—during the Winter 2025/26 season using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The service is expected to operate twice weekly and will mark Greater Bay Airlines’ first entry into the US market.
Flights to Guam are tentatively scheduled for 2026, to be operated with the larger Boeing 737-9s.
Greater Bay Airlines currently has a firm order for fifteen Boeing 737-9 aircraft, with initial deliveries originally expected in April and May 2025. However, these deliveries have been delayed amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between the US and China, which have prompted Boeing to temporarily halt aircraft deliveries to Chinese operators. While Boeing plans to resume deliveries soon, no updated timeline has been provided by the airline.
In addition to the 737-9s, Greater Bay Airlines holds a non-binding commitment for five Boeing 787 aircraft. The airline presently operates a fleet of eight Boeing 737-800s.
The FACP application also disclosed the airline’s ownership structure. Greater Bay Airlines is fully owned by East Pacific (Holdings) Limited, a Hong Kong-based company. East Pacific is co-owned by three Hong Kong nationals: Wong Cho Bau (80%), Lai Wan Kwan (15%), and Li Albert Chee Man (5%). Wong Cho Bau also owns mainland China’s Donghai Airlines and Donghai Jet, while Lai and Li have business ties in Shenzhen’s real estate sector.
