Jetstar Hong Kong (Hong Kong International) has confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that it is considering the sale and leaseback of its growing fleet of new Airbus A320s as a means of cutting its rising costs. As delays mount, up to seven new A320-200s remain parked at Airbus in Toulouse Blagnac, France, with a further two aircraft due for delivery in June. Pressure on parent Qantas has also been mounting given investors pushing the struggling Australian national carrier to offload its loss-making subsidiaries and focus on the growing threat that is Virgin Australia (VA, Brisbane International). Jetstar Hong Kong, a joint venture between Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith), China Eastern Airlines (MU, Shanghai Hongqiao) and local real estate and shipping conglomerate, Shun Tak Holdings, has seen its original mid-2013 launch date come and go in the wake of recent objections by both Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International) and Hong Kong Airlines (HX, Hong Kong International) to its licensing application.