Cathay Pacific Airways (Cathay) announced on Monday that
Shanghai will return to the airline's passenger network in December
with daily flights between Hong Kong International Airport and
Shanghai's Pudong International Airport.
The service will begin on December 1. Flight CX368 will depart
from Hong Kong every day except Friday at 6:40 PM, while CX367 will
depart from Pudong at 10:35 PM. On Fridays, CX362 will depart at
11:35 PM, and CX362 flies back in to Hong Kong on Saturday morning
at 3:05 AM.
The passenger service is in addition to the 12 freight flights
that Cathay already operates between Hong Kong and Shanghai each
week.
Cathay's Chief Executive Philip Chen said: "We are delighted to
be flying passengers to Shanghai once again, after a 16-year break.
Our strong global network and connectivity, plus our fleet of large
wide-bodied aircraft, will maximize the efficient use of the
additional traffic rights and boost the Hong Kong hub and
economy."
Cathay first started passenger flights between Hong Kong and
Shanghai in 1981. But under a regulation made by the former Hong
Kong government, airlines were only allowed to ply a single air
route to the mainland, Cathay had to suspend its Shanghai flights
in 1990. Cathay started applying for the right to fly the Shanghai
route again in 2003.
At present, China Eastern operates 14 daily flights between
Shanghai and Hong Kong, while Dragonair, now a wholly owned
subsidiary of Cathay, operates 16 daily flights to and from
Shanghai.
Shanghai is an important mainland market for Cathay, accounting
for 35 percent of the passenger market and 68 percent of the cargo
market between the mainland and Hong Kong.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn?September 26, 2006)