The new non-stop service links New England and Hong Kong directly for the first time, and marks the airline’s sixth gateway in the United States, and its eighth in North America.
The carrier will be the first airline in the world to operate the A350 on scheduled services to China, as Shanghai will be served daily by the next-generation Airbus aircraft from October 25, 2015. Beijing will follow with daily A350 services to commence from November 21, 2015.
The airline, part of the Volga-Dnepr Group, introduced a twice weekly connection to Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi from its base at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport from April 1, 2015. The flights from Vietnam operate via Hong Kong and connect in the Russian capital to AirBridgeCargo’s wider network into Europe and the United States.
Cathay Pacific introduced the link between Hong Kong International Airport and Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport in July 2010 and operated a three times weekly rotation using an Airbus A340-300.
With almost ten years of experience in the aviation business, the carrier, part of the HNA Group and a sister operation to Hainan Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines, has been reinvented to better meet the demands of the local market and enable the group to better compete in the emerging low-cost sector in Hong Kong, a market served by 17 other low-cost carriers.
The HK$150 billion project has been backed by both Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), with the interpretation that a third runway is necessary in order to see the aviation industry in Hong Kong flourish.
The airline plans to expand its services to include a thrice weekly rotation between Hong Kong and Yancheng, in the Northeastern Jiangsu province, China. The two hour ten minute flight will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A320 aircraft, and will operate on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday from March 31, 2015.
HK Express has announced a number of service increases on operations across both Japan and Korea during the summer 2015 season, as well as a new service to China.
Hong Kong carrier, Cathay Pacific has said it welcomes the budget strategy recently outlined by Hong Kong SAR Government Financial Secretary John Tsang.
Beginning September 1, 2015 and subject to government approval, the service will operate four-times weekly to Dusseldorf - the international business and financial centre in Germany.
The route to the vibrant South-Central Coast of Vietnam will commence from April 1, 2015 and will be operated on a three times weekly basis with flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This will be the only low-cost link between Hong Kong and Đà Nẵng which is becoming increasingly popular as an alternate leisure destination for travellers.
This will mark the return of direct flights into Asia for the Scandinavian flag carrier from Sweden’s capital city. In the past ten years it has previously offered links from Stockholm to both Beijing and Bangkok, the latter on a seasonal winter basis, but these were both suspended from spring 2009.
The Japanese airline is to launch a route between Narita and Houston from June 2015 as part of an expansion of its network between Asia and the Americas.
The carrier launched domestic operations in July 2012 and has its main operational base at Tokyo Narita, but is believed to feel it can generate a better penetration of its international activities and develop enhanced synergies with the wider Jetstar Group from Osaka, where it opened a secondary base in June 2014.
Latest data from The International Air Transport Association (IATA) for global air freight markets shows air cargo growth accelerated in May 2014, with 4.7 per cent growth compared to a year ago. This is up from the 3.8 per cent year-on-year growth recorded in April.
UAE national carrier, Etihad Airways, has revealed plans to launch its first passenger flights to Algiers, Edinburgh, Entebbe, Hong Kong, Kolkata and Madrid in the first half of 2015, while Brisbane will get its first non-stop flights using the carrier's new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
The flight will be operated using a four-class Boeing 777-300ER and will seek to take advantage of the strong business and leisure demand. Located right in the heart of Europe, Zurich is a top banking centre but is also the gateway to the scenic mountains and lakes of Switzerland.
South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines will launch regional passenger operations with the Airbus A380 in the middle of June and will then deploy the aircraft on its scheduled route between Seoul Incheon and Los Angeles from August this year.
