Dubai: Cathay Pacific will resume non-stop weekly flights between Dubai and Hong Kong from May 21. These will operate from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, and provide passengers access to Hong Kong and onward connections across the carrier’s Asian network.
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier will deploy the Airbus A330-300 on the route. “Dubai has been an important route for us for more than four decades,” said Vishnu Rajendran, Area Manager – Middle East, Cathay Pacific. “The resumption taps into resurgent travel demand and underlines our ongoing efforts to recover our business from the impact of the pandemic.”
Cathay Pacific has been keeping a close eye on Middle Eastern routes to run its passenger and cargo flights. “Our teams have been monitoring demand as well as the feasibility of routes for both our business verticals,” said Rajendran. “While our passenger operations have been impacted due to COVID-19, cargo business has been operating to meet the market demand.”
Cargo connection
The carrier recently launched a scheduled freighter that connects Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. To operate this route, Cathay has deployed the Boeing B747-400ERF. “Despite the pandemic and the challenges, we remain agile in adjusting our network plan in accordance with the market,” said Rajendran.
Cathay was one of the first airlines to be hit by the pandemic due to its reliance on the Chinese domestic market. And although domestic flights in the country are back up, the overall trends still do not favor Cathay.
“Demand for international travel has been sporadic, due to the dynamic COVID-19 situation,” said Rajendran. “Outbound travel to some Asian destinations have seen a healthy demand from China - we also continue to see occasional spikes in student traffic from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, mainly to the UK.”
