From 1 December, Cathay Pacific will increase its services to Brisbane from four flights per week to six weekly.
The oneworld airline also will upgrade the route to the higher-capacity Boeing 777-300ER from the Airbus A350.
Exporters in Queensland have been desperate to have capacity to Hong Kong restored, Brisbane airport says.
“This week 41 years ago we celebrated the arrival of the very first Cathay Pacific 747 to Brisbane. And today we celebrate the expansion of this service as we slowly build back to full pre-Covid recovery.
Make no mistake, the link between Brisbane and Hong Kong is one of the region’s most critical for Queensland exports, and this will deliver money into the pockets of rural producers across the state, as well as local seafood companies, and of course tourism operators,” according to Oliver Philpot at Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Cathay Pacific is the only airline flying between Brisbane and the trade gateway of Hong Kong.
“Brisbane is a key port for Cathay Pacific for both our cargo and travel services, so it’s with great pleasure that we’re increasing our flight schedule. The support from the Queensland Government and Brisbane Airport is hugely valued as we increase our service from Brisbane to Hong Kong and beyond,” said Sandeep Pillay, Cathay Pacific Acting Regional General Manager, Southwest Pacific.
Cathay Pacific will operate the increased services on flight CX156 every day from Friday to Wednesday departing from Brisbane at 0055 and arriving in Hong Kong at 0730. The return flight CX157 will operate every day from Thursday to Tuesday departing from Hong Kong at 1310 and arriving in Brisbane at 2335, all using a Boeing 777-300ER.
In the past year via Brisbane there were 40,108 tonnes of exports for the 12 months to May 2023 which represents 52 per cent of pre-Covid exports, officials said. The top three export destinations were New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The Chinese mainland was the second biggest export destination in FY19; however, it has slipped to ninth place in FY23 due to the lack of direct flights. Cathay Pacific flights via Hong Kong provide access to this market.