Cathay Pacific Group will be increasing its operations into Mainland China for the northern summer season, tapping on “growing two-way travel demand”.
The airline group, comprising mainline operator Cathay and low-cost unit HK Express, will be operating up to 300 return flights a week, as it progressively ramps up capacity from April. The figure is about 40% higher than 2023 schedules.
The airline group flies to 20 points in Mainland China, including soon-to-be launched flights to Urumqi in Xinjiang province.
Cathay will increase flights to Beijing and Shanghai, which it has said are two “major national strategic areas” of focus. Cathay will operate seven daily flights to Beijing Capital airport, while HK Express will operate a daily flight to Beijing Daxing.
The Oneworld operator will also serve Shanghai Pudong eight times a day, along with 11 weekly flights to Shanghai Hongqiao.
Cathay will increase flights to Zhengzhou, Haikou and Chongqing from four times a week to daily operations. HK Express, meanwhile, will also operate daily flights to Ningbo. Cities like Hangzhou, Nanjing and Wenzhou will also see increments in frequencies, says Cathay.
Cathay states: “These increased flight frequencies not only strengthen Cathay’s direct services between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, but also cater for the growing two-way travel demand between the Chinese Mainland and the global market, offering customers a more efficient and flexible travel experience.”
The expansion comes as the airline group targets a network of over 100 cities this year, as it caps off two years of post-pandemic recovery.
