Asian airline Cathay Pacific ramps up Hong Kong service at Manchester Airport

Cathay Pacific has announced plans to expand at Manchester Airport.

The Asian airline is ramping up the frequency of its service between the North West and Hong Kong with extra flights departing on Sundays and Wednesdays.

The expansion means that Cathay Pacific now operates the route daily.

Neil Glenn, the airline’s general manager for Europe, said: “Our frequency increases are a direct result of responding to the needs of our customers.

“Since we initially launched the route in December 2014, we’ve been delighted with how popular it has proved.”

He continued: “The enhanced schedule will provide business and leisure travellers in the North West with more choice and greater flexibility in planning their trips for added convenience, while at the same time strengthening Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s leading aviation hub.

“From there, the airline serves over 190 destinations via Hong Kong International Airport, including 22 destinations within mainland China.”

From June, Cathay Pacific will replace its Boeing 777-300ER with the A350-900 as the aircraft operating the route.

Manchester Airport’s commercial director, Stephen Turner, commented: “For Cathay Pacific to recently announce an increase to five flights per week was excellent news in itself, but for them now to go to a daily service from December clearly showcases the strong demand for the route.

“In just a few years the route is performing extremely positively and allows the 22m people in our catchment area easy, direct access to Hong Kong and beyond.”

He added: “It continues to unlock economic opportunities and trade between the two regions and I am sure the extra frequency will be welcomed by business and leisure passengers alike.”

Paul Stowers, deputy director for the Department for International Trade in the North West, said China and Hong Kong are now “hugely significant markets” for exporters in the North West, with China consistently ranked in the region’s top five overseas markets.

He said: “With the recent launch of direct flights between Manchester, China and Hong Kong and this very welcome increase in the frequency of flights by Cathay Pacific as the only airline flying directly to the former colony, these markets are more accessible than ever.

“President Xi Jinping’s visit in 2015 helped to enhance the channels for exporting and underlined the huge importance of the cultural and economic links between China and the North West.”

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