Cathay Pacific Launching New U.S. Route Next Year

The flight will become the carrier's longest.

A Cathay Pacific A350-1000 at Washington Dulles (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Ben Suskind)

[ Routes ]September 24, 2024 9:18 am ET

By Pete Ainsley

Cathay Pacific has announced that it will expand its North America network in 2025 with a new service to Dallas/Fort Worth. The Hong Kong-based airline will deploy its Airbus A350-1000 to operate the four-times-a-week service starting on April 24, 2025.

“Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports. With our Cathay Pacific codeshares as well as other flight options, customers can connect to over 190 domestic destinations in the United States.” Lavinia Lau, Cathay Group Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, said in a news release.

Hong Kong is desperate to strengthen its position as an aviation hub. Earlier this year, the city rolled out a new campaign to attract international airlines focusing on American and European destinations. Airlines launching new routes will be rewarded with an incentive for up to two years.

At 8,123 miles, the carrier’s new Hong Kong-Dallas/Fort Worth route will become its longest by distance. Cathay’s current longest route is between Hong Kong and New York-JFK.

In addition, Cathay Pacific will ramp up its flight frequencies to North America, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Vancouver, and Toronto in the next year.

The airline will be operating 108 return flights between Hong Kong and North America by May 2025, up from the current 88 per week. The carrier also plans to open a new lounge at New York-JFK.

Spreading Its Wings Again

After years of the pandemic, Cathay Pacific got into gear and announced that it would invest over HK$100 billion ($12.8 billion) over the next seven years. Earlier this year, Cathay Pacific announced that it would modernize its fleet by acquiring 30 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, expecting more than 100 new deliveries, with the rights to acquire over 80 additional aircraft in the future.

Meanwhile, the airline completed the buyback of all the warrants it had issued to the Hong Kong SAR Government during the pandemic.