A Cathay Pacific flight attendant Photos: Courtesy of Milano Finanza

The latest expansion of Cathay Pacific's international network features the introduction of new European routes, the evolution of passenger demand, and infrastructure investments related to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)'s role as a global mobility hub.

Cathay Pacific, a premium full-service airline based in Hong Kong, continues to soar high thanks to new investments and an increasing number of routes. This summer, the Cathay Group, which also includes the low-cost carrier HK Express, reached the significant milestone of serving 100 destinations, with strong growth performance. 

This year, Cathay Pacific transported 36.1 percent more passengers in May compared to May 2024, while available seat kilometers (ASK) increased by 31.2 percent. In the first five months of 2025, the number of passengers transported rose by 28.4 percent compared to the same period in 2024. 

"Although May is traditionally a quieter month for our travel sector, this year sales have exceeded expectations, with the load factor reaching 84.7 percent, the highest value for May since 2015," said Lavinia Lau, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer. 

"This was driven by strong demand for long-haul flights, particularly due to the early return of students to Hong Kong and our promotional fare campaign launched in February. Demand for business travel also remained solid, supported by traffic between Hong Kong SAR and the Chinese mainland, as well as to various long-haul destinations in the Americas and the UK. Looking ahead, we expect good demand during the summer travel peak, with Southeast Asia particularly favored by customers from our domestic market."

The airline continues to provide its customers with a high-quality, world-class travel experience to destinations around the globe, reinforcing HKSAR's role as an international aviation hub.

Route Rome-Hong Kong

Launched at the beginning of June, Rome is the second Italian city to be connected to Hong Kong after Milan Malpensa, which has a daily connection. The direct flight operates three times a week (Monday, Thursday, and Saturday) with an Airbus A350-900 aircraft, as a seasonal summer service, until October 25, 2025. The flight will offer an even greater number of Italian travelers the opportunity to experience Cathay Pacific's premium service to Hong Kong and benefit from seamless connections to destinations in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand thanks to the airline's extensive network.

Throughout the year, the Cathay Group will launch another 18 destinations, including three in Europe. In addition to Rome, the airline introduced new direct flights from Munich on June 16, which will be followed by the resumption of flights from Brussels in August. With the addition of the new routes from Europe, Cathay Pacific will operate from 12 destinations in Europe, running nearly 100 weekly round-trip flights to Hong Kong.

From Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific operates flights to destinations in North America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia, including nearly 300 weekly round-trip flights to 22 destinations in the Chinese mainland, making travel within China more accessible than ever. 

Flight frequency has been increased for major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Ningbo, Haikou, and Chongqing, along with growing service to Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wenzhou, and Wuhan. A brand-new route to Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, further expands the airline's reach in the Chinese mainland.

The Cathay Group is also investing over HK$100 billion ($12.73 billion) to further enhance customer experience. This includes state-of-the-art aircraft, fully renovated cabins and lounges, and digital innovations, which also encompass in-flight entertainment with a screen at every seat and Wi-Fi connectivity in the cabins of all aircraft. 

In to highlighting Chinese cuisine with special culinary choices, the airline has also initiated collaborations with Michelin-starred restaurants to offer curated menus on selected flights departing from Hong Kong. 

On the ground, Cathay Pacific is implementing a significant renovation plan for its lounges both in HKSAR and globally. New openings are planned in Beijing and New York, while the lounge The Bridge at Hong Kong International Airport has recently reopened with a new look.

Cathay Pacific's deep commitment to providing premium service has not gone unnoticed. The airline has just been recognized as one of the top three airlines in the world at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards 2025, moving up two positions from the previous year. It also received two other major awards for Best Airline for Economy Class for the second consecutive year and Best In-Flight Entertainment for the second time in the last three years. 

"These awards highlight our ongoing commitment to providing exceptional service and enhancing the customer experience at every stage of their journey," said Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam. 

"We are grateful for the incredible support of our customers and the dedication of all our Cathay staff. These awards inspire and motivate us to continue improving to become one of the most prestigious service brands in the world."

Cathay Pacific's Airbus A350-1000

From HK to the GBA

Convenient and fast connections from Hong Kong International Airport to the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan area in the world in southern China. This is an innovative and economically significant zone consisting of Macao and the nine cities of Guangdong Province: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing. 

Cathay Pacific has established a connection service through high-speed ferry transfers from all ports in the area and bus services, allowing passengers to reach all areas of the GBA with their baggage checked all the way through to their final destinations. 

Additionally, at Shekou port, Cathay is the only airline to offer a lounge with premium services.