CAPE Town has clinched its first direct air link to Asia with the November 14 launch of Cathay Pacific’s first non-stop seasonal service between Cape Town (CPT) and Hong Kong (HKG).

Operating three times a week until February 18, flight CX794 departs Cape Town 11h05 on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays to arrive 06h55 in Hong Kong. Flight CX795 departs Hong Kong 00h10 on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays to arrive in Cape Town at 08h30. Flights are operated with a new 280-seat Airbus A350-900 in three-class layout, comprising 38 business class seats, 28 in premium economy and 214 in economy class. The aircraft is equipped with Cathay Pacific’s latest products, including new seats, a new in-flight entertainment system and in-flight WiFi.

The new service will add 11 760 seats in each direction on the CPT-HKG route during the season, complementing Cathay Pacific’s 27-year-old daily non-stop service between Johannesburg (JNB) and HKG.

Speaking at a Cape Town media briefing, Cathay Pacific’s Country Manager SA and Indian Ocean, Ashish Kapur, said the early morning HKG arrivals were well-timed for onward connections to 200 destinations on Cathay Pacific’s network, in addition to 120 other airlines connecting at Hong Kong. Regional GM for South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Mark Sutch, said the new service would boost travel to other destinations on Cathay Pacific’s network as it provided excellent connections to popular destinations like Bangkok, Bali, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo and the Philippines.

Kapur said the response to the route launch from frequent travellers, the travel trade and corporates had been “extremely encouraging”. “They have been waiting for it for a long time.” He said the service predominantly targeted leisure travellers, with the corporate market being a long-term target.

Sutch said while Cape Town had always been on Cathay Pacific’s radar, the route launch had to be timed right, Cape Town now having become a strong destination in its own right. Another consideration had been the availability of the right size equipment to service the route, said Flight Operations Director, Captain Chris Kempis.  The seasonal service would test the market, said Sutch, and a year-round service would depend on the route’s performance and whether the business travel market would pick up. “The new service creates exciting new opportunities for both the Western Cape and Hong Kong,” he said.

Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, said the new service signified an unprecedented connection between Asia and the Western Cape, both Hong Kong and Cape Town being gateways to their respective continents. It signalled increased opportunities for business, investment, travel and trade. “By connecting the Cape directly to China for the first time, we hope to see a marked increase in tourism and investment into our region,” he said.

Cathay Pacific has expanded its long-haul network significantly in recent years. In 2018 alone, the airline launched new services to Brussels, Dublin and Washington DC, while its regional subsidiary, Cathay Dragon, commenced flights to the Philippines, China and Indonesia.