Article from BTNews 23 JANUARY 2017
More of Europe for Cathay
Further expansion into Europe is on the cards from Cathay Pacific in July with the introduction of a link between the Hong Kong hub and Barcelona, host city for this year’s World Routes conference.
The carrier says the service, following its newly-established route to Madrid, has been made possible by the introduction of the Airbus A350-900 into the fleet, meaning it can serve new long-haul markets more efficiently.
Cathay is planning a four times weekly summer service between its home base and the Spanish city from 2 July. Flights will continue until 27 October and represent the first non-stop offering between the two points.
Cathay chief executive officer Ivan Chu said: “The new service reflects our commitment to grow our network and offer passengers more choice and also further strengthens Hong Kong’s status as one of the world’s most important aviation hubs.”
The airline made its debut in the Spanish market last June with the four times weekly Hong Kong – Madrid link. It is estimated to have carried some 50,000 bi-directional in the first five months of operation, or about 140 passengers per day each way (PPDEW).
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