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Jai Ganesh

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Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific, is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have scheduled passenger and cargo services to over 190 destinations and present in more than 60 countries worldwide including codeshares and joint ventures. Cathay Pacific operates a fleet consisting of Airbus A321, Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, and Boeing 777 aircraft. Cathay Cargo operates two models of the Boeing 747. Defunct wholly-owned subsidiary airline Cathay Dragon, which ceased operations in 2020, previously flew to 44 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region from its Hong Kong base. In 2010, Cathay Pacific and Cathay Pacific Cargo (then Cathay Cargo), together with Dragonair (then Cathay Dragon), carried nearly 27 million passengers and over 1.8 million tons of cargo and mail.

The airline was founded on 24 September 1946 by Australian Sydney H. de Kantzow and American Roy C. Farrell. The airline celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016; and as of March 2021, its major shareholders are Swire Pacific, with a 42.3% stake and Air China, with a 28.2% stake.

Cathay Pacific is the world's fifth largest airline measured by sales, and fourteenth largest measured by market capitalisation. In 2010, Cathay Pacific became the world's largest international cargo airline, along with main hub Hong Kong International Airport as the world's busiest airport measured by cargo traffic. The company slogan is Move beyond.

It is one of the founding members of Oneworld alliance.

Additional Information

1946 - The Cathay story begins

At the end of the Second World War, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow – two ex-Air Force pilots known for flying ‘The Hump’ over the Himalayas – spot an opportunity to fly much-needed goods from Australia into China. They buy a Douglas DC-3 plane, nicknamed ‘Betsy’, and Cathay Pacific is officially born: an airline fuelled by its founders' passion for flying, progressive thinking and drive to connect the world and its people.

In fact, our very name originates from Roy Farrell’s sense of ambition – that the new airline would one day cross the vast Pacific Ocean from China. We officially achieve this milestone less than 30 years later.

1959 – Growth spurt

After steady beginnings, Cathay Pacific acquires rival Hong Kong Airways and gains additional traffic rights to Japan and Australia – adding Darwin, Sydney, Tokyo and Taipei to the network.

Two Lockheed Electra aircraft are introduced to the fleet this year. Painted in a new smart green and white livery, these are the first aircraft to offer a premium cabin, with 12 First class seats. The Electras would go on flying until 1967.

1962 - Entering the jet age

We buy our first Convair 880 in 1962, and by 1968 we have an all-jet fleet, with eight 880s zipping around our regional network. This ‘sporty’ aircraft is popular with pilots, and flying the sectors quicker means that we can expand our regional network to new destinations – including Fukuoka and Nagoya (1966) and Kota Kinabalu and Okinawa (1967).

1970 - Two new Discoveries

Our first-ever lounge opens at Kai Tak Airport. The Discovery lounge is a small, secluded and peaceful space for VIP and Marco Polo Club members to relax before their flight. We also publish the first edition of Discovery – our inflight magazine.

1976 - Cargo gets serious

One of our Boeing 707s (delivered in 1971) is converted into an all-freighter configuration, with a big cargo door and Cathay Pacific Cargo branding. These days, it’s our modern Boeing 747 freighter fleet that moves vital goods and vaccines across the world.

1979 - The Jumbo arrives

Our first Boeing 747, VR-HKG, arrives in Hong Kong. The 747 would go on to propel Cathay Pacific from a regional carrier to a global player with a long-haul network: flights to London Gatwick begin the following year, with a service stop in Bahrain to refuel. This legacy continued with the new and improved 747-400, introduced in 1989, which opened up many more non-stop, long-haul destinations across Europe and North America – connecting people across all corners of the world.

1983 - Betsy comes home

Betsy, Cathay Pacific’s first-ever aircraft, arrives back in Hong Kong under her own power after a restoration in Australia. She is donated to the Hong Kong Museum of Science & Technology, where she still resides today. In 2017, we commemorate her with Betsy BeerOpen a new window – a craft beer brewed to taste better at 35,000 feet.

1991 - European expansion

A busy year of new non-stop routes to Europe using the extended range offered by the Boeing 747-400, following on from the first non-stop service to Los Angeles from Hong Kong the previous year. This year saw new non-stop services to London Heathrow, Zurich and Amsterdam, marking us as a truly vital link between Asia and Europe.

1992 – The silver (seat back) screen

Personal seat-back TVs are introduced to First class, extending to Business in 1994 and all cabins by 1996. The revolutionary move gave passengers access to six channels, featuring ‘non-stop movies, magazine-style documentaries and video clips’ in English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese. Innovation in inflight entertainment has continued to evolve – now our Airbus A321neosOpen a new window feature 4K Ultra-HD screens in every cabin, with thousands of hours of entertainment on offer.

1998 – Breaking new records

The CX889 ‘Polar One’ flight, operated by a Boeing 747-400, sets three records in a night: the first non-stop passenger flight from New York to Hong Kong; the first scheduled commercial flight to land at Hong Kong’s new airport at Chek Lap Kok; and the longest non-stop commercial flight ever made at 7,465 nautical miles – completed in 15 hours and 35 minutes thanks to a new route over the North Pole.

This was also the year the oneworld alliance was officially formed, in partnership with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines and Qantas.

1999 – Loyalty rewarded

The Asia Miles programme is born, allowing members to earn and redeem air miles as they travel and shop.

2003 – Inspiring the next generation

The first “I Can Fly” event is launched, with 500 youngsters taking part. The biannual programme helps youngsters gain valuable insight into the world of aviation.

2012 – Premium Economy launches

We introduce a new cabin class, offering our customers even more options and better ways to fly.

2014 – Best airline in the world

We win the Skytrax Best Airline award for the fourth time – making us the first airline to achieve this aviation milestone.

2015 - New image

Our fleet gets a facelift, with a new brushwing design and a refreshed colour palette: this marks the first time the fleet has had a makeover in 20 years.

2016 – Farewell to an icon; hello to the future

We say goodbye to our passenger Boeing 747-400 fleet. Tickets sell out in minutes for the final commemorative flight, marked by a low-level flyover of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. We welcome the first of what will grow to be 48 Airbus A350 aircraft, setting new standards in cabin comfort.

2021 – Ready for the next 75

As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we launch Cathay in Hong Kong – our new premium travel lifestyle brandOpen a new window, which offers our customers more ways to shop, save and be rewarded.

We pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050Open a new window, leading the way to a more sustainable future for aviation. And we introduce our innovative new Airbus A321neo aircraft, redefining the possibilities of short-haul travel.

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