The inaugural flight by Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, postponed after a last-minute hitch about rights to overfly Russia, went ahead a day later. Claimed to be the world's first long-haul budget airline since the era of Freddie Laker's SkyTrain and later, PEOPLExpress, the fledgling carrier insisted that the necessary approval from the Russian authorities had been obtained. Oasis is currently offering all tickets at ‘hot deal’ one-way prices of HK$1,000 (£75), plus tax, in Economy, and HK$6,600 (£470), plus tax, in Business on the Hong Kong-London route. The delay was an embarrassment for Oasis, which had built up a lot of hype over the past few months, having sold in excess of 10,000 tickets for the service. Among the passengers delayed by the postponement was the company's chief executive, Stephen Miller, who said: “We’ve had an over-whelming response and our inaugural month special promotion is a reflection of our promise to make long-haul travel more accessible and affordable. And if you're looking for luxury on a shoestring you can experience our business class service at considerably less than our competitors.” Oasis is operating the service with two ex-Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 747-400s and has announced plans for a fleet of five aircraft by the end of the year.
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