Cathay Pacific expands its European network

Cathay Pacific will launch non-stop routes to Brussels, Dublin and Copenhagen from summer 2018 as it continues to grow destinations in Europe. When added to recently- launched services to Gatwick, Madrid and Barcelona, the Hong Kong carrier’s newly announced additions will bring the number of directly served destinations in Europe to 15. It will use state-of-the-art A350-900 aircraft on the route featuring its newest seats and cabin design as well as in-flight wi-fi. The plane features 38 lie-flat business seats with direct aisle access and plenty of space as well as 28 premium economy seats with a 40-inch seat pitch. Cathay’s 214 economy seats in the A350 are also generous by modern standards, with a 32-inch seat pitch and a width of 18 inches. Read our reviews of Cathay flights. Cathay Pacific chief executive Officer Rupert Hogg said that the new services would meet customer demand for non-stop travel to the three cities while giving European passengers better access to key destinations in Asia and Southwest Pacific through the airline’s Hong Kong hub. “These are all fantastic destinations and attract business and leisure travellers from the world over,’’ Hogg said in a statement. “We listened to our customers’ demands for more options and greater flexibility and have responded by building direct air links with these great cities. “Growing our reach to new destinations that aren’t served from Hong Kong boosts the city’s status as Asia’s largest international hub and enables us to capture new and important sources of revenue.” Cathay now has in operation 18 of the 22 A350-900s it has on order, with the remaining four aircraft due for delivery before the end of 2017.  It also has 26 bigger A350-1000 aircraft scheduled to join its fleet from 2018. It credits the fuel-efficient aircraft with its ability to open up new markets not otherwise served from Hong Kong. Cathay has been battling stiff competition from mainland Chinese and other airlines. In August, it  reported a $KH2.05- billion ($US262m) net loss for the first six months of 2017 and predicted the second half  was likely to be just as bad.