Cathay Pacific launches first direct flights to Hong Kong from Gatwick Airport

• Cathay Pacific‘s four-times-a-week service to boost business links with China and the wider Far East
• New Cathay Pacific service cements Gatwick’s place in the premier league of airports offering 50+ long haul routes across the globe
• Gatwick now connects UK to three Chinese cities, including only direct flights to Chongqing – the commercial capital of South West China

LONDON, 2016-Sep-06 — /Travel PR News/ — Another vital connection to global markets will launch today with Cathay Pacific’s first direct flights to Hong Kong from Gatwick – encouraging the growth of trading links with China and the wider Far East – the airport announced.

China is the UK’s second biggest export market outside Europe and the new four-times-a-week service to Hong Kong is Gatwick’s third new route to the country this year – with Chongqing, the commercial capital of South West China, and Tianjin, China’s third biggest city – also flown to from the airport.

The new service will be Cathay Pacific’s first UK long-haul route to feature the brand new Airbus 350-900 – the quietest and most fuel efficient (25% better) aircraft of its kind.

The new Cathay Pacific service cements Gatwick’s place in the premier league of airports offering 50+ long haul routes across the globe.  With Cathay Pacific and its sister airline, Cathay Dragon, connecting to 22 destinations on the Chinese mainland from Hong Kong International, the new service provides vital connections for UK businesses trading with China.

Cathay Pacific is also hosting its inaugural ‘Enabling Great Business 2016’ event this September to celebrate and explore trade between Britain, China and South-East Asia.  Hosted in partnership with HSBC, the event will take place at the Shard, London Bridge on 22 September 2016. 

Guy Stephenson, Chief Commercial Officer, Gatwick Airport, said:

“Hong Kong is the premier gateway to China and we are delighted to welcome Cathay Pacific – one of the World’s premier airlines – to Gatwick.  

“The new flights mark an important milestone in the growth of the Gatwick long haul network, which now more than ever provides the UK economy with vital routes into the World’s most important markets.”  

Cathay Pacific’s General Manager Europe, Neil Glenn said:

“We are committed to providing our passengers with greater choice and flexibility, and this new non-stop service from Gatwick to Hong Kong is testament to this.  With 2016 marking Cathay Pacific’s 70^th anniversary, we are proud to now offer passengers three non-stop routes from the UK to Hong Kong, and then beyond.” 

Notes

The flight schedule for Cathay Pacific’s Gatwick (LGW) service, effective from 2 September 2016, will be as follows (all times local):

Summer schedule in 2016

Winter schedule in 2016

 Note: Flight numbers and schedules are subject to approval and may change without prior notice. 

For more information contact:

Gatwick Airport press office

t: + 44 (0) 1293 505000
e: gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com

About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the most efficient single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 220 destinations in 80 countries for more than 41 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South East region, generating around 21,000 on-airport jobs and a further 10,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.

A Government decision on whether Gatwick airport should be expanded is expected this year. Gatwick’s second runway will deliver the UK the same number of passengers, the same number of long haul routes, better UK and regional connections, and the economic boost the UK needs, all at a dramatically lower environmental impact, at less than half the cost of Heathrow, and with no public subsidy.

For further information on Gatwick Airport see www.gatwickairport.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport

SOURCE:  Gatwick Airport Limited

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