China, India, US, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Vietnam, and South Korea Redefine Global Travel as Cathay Pacific and HK Express Unleash Their Largest Network Expansion Yet

China, India, US, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Vietnam, and South Korea gain stronger air links as Cathay Pacific and HK Express expand routes.

Cathay Pacific, headquartered in Hong Kong, along with its low-cost sister airline HK Express, is significantly ramping up its flight operations to the Chinese mainland in response to growing travel demand. The two airlines will collectively operate around 300 weekly flights across 20 mainland destinations from their hub at Hong Kong International Airport—a nearly 40% capacity boost compared to the 2024 summer peak.

Beijing and Shanghai Lead the Expansion

Beijing will be served by a total of 56 weekly flights, including seven daily flights to Beijing Capital International Airport and one daily HK Express-operated flight to Beijing Daxing International Airport.

For Shanghai, Cathay Pacific will offer eight daily round trips between Hong Kong and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. On top of that, there will be 11 weekly return flights to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, pushing the total number of flights to 67 per week between the two cities.

Other Cities See Major Increases

Several other mainland cities will see upgraded services. Destinations such as Zhengzhou, Ningbo, Haikou, and Chongqing will go from four weekly round trips to daily flights. HK Express will also operate daily flights to Ningbo in summer 2025. Hangzhou will see four return flights daily, Nanjing will increase to two flights per day, Wenzhou will be served 10 times weekly, and Wuhan will receive 12 flights per week.

Cathay Pacific will also launch a brand-new route to Urumqi, with direct service from Hong Kong starting April 28, 2025.

Global Network Grows with 13 New International Routes

Alongside its mainland expansion, the Cathay Group is adding 13 international destinations to its global route map in 2025. Cathay Pacific will launch flights to Hyderabad, Dallas, Rome, Munich, and Brussels. HK Express will debut services to Sendai, Nha Trang, Ishigaki, Komatsu, Cheongju, Daegu, and Miyako-Shimojishima, reflecting the group’s broader strategy to strengthen Hong Kong’s role as a global aviation hub.

Fleet and Future Growth Plans

HK Express currently operates a fleet of 41 Airbus aircraft, including six A320-200s, ten A320neos, 13 A321-200s, and 12 A321neos. The airline also has 21 additional A320neo family aircraft on order to support its ambitious expansion plans.

By 2025, the Cathay Group aims to serve over 100 destinations worldwide, reinforcing its recovery and future growth as it reasserts Hong Kong’s position in global aviation.