Cathay Pacific has announced plans to expand its regional network following a visit by the Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Ronald Lam, to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The Cathay Group, comprised of Cathay Pacific and low-fare carrier HK Express, currently flies to 17 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, operating over 360 flights a week.
Witnessed by Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government John Lee Ka-chiu (second from left) and Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia Sun Chanthol (second from right), Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam (first from left) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cambodia Airports Chief Executive Officer Cyril Girot (first from right).
CEO Lam said, “As Hong Kong’s home carrier, Cathay is committed to furthering the growth of Hong Kong as an international aviation hub and enhancing connectivity between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to the rest of the world.”
Hong Kong International Airport’s Three-Runway System forms a significant part of the Group’s regional growth plan. Targeted for completion at the end of 2024, once operational, it is expected to increase the airport’s passenger capacity to handle 120 million passengers.
“We will continue to strengthen our existing routes and deepen our network and collaboration across ASEAN to seize these growth opportunities,” added Lam.
In continuous expansion, the Cathay Group has recently focused on its Vietnam connections following the 75-year anniversary of its first flight to the country. It announced a new route to Phu Quoc, operated by HK Express, for Q4 2024. Cathay Pacific and HK Express currently operate flights to three other Vietnamese destinations: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang. It has also amped up recruitment in Vietnam, hiring over 170 Vietnamese cabin crew.
Equally, Lam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cyril Girot, the Chief Executive Officer of Cambodia Airport. This MoU will bring additional daily flights to Phnom Penh (Cambodia), operated by Cathay Pacific.
These network development plans follow the expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), with an additional eight Mainland cities being introduced to the scheme in May 2024. Four of these cities, Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, Lanzhou in Gansu Province, Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have direct links to Hong Kong International Airport and should increase the number of flights provided by airlines, as well as boosting passenger volume at the airport.
HK Express Airways commented, “HK Express Airways welcomes the expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme to more Chinese Mainland cities. The expansion will not only attract more tourists to Hong Kong but also bolster the growth and development of Hong Kong’s tourist sector.”
Photo: Cathay Pacific
