Cathay Pacific Airways Launches New Longest Flight with Washington D.C. Service

Cathay Pacific Airways, the flag carrier of Hong Kong, will fly to Washington D.C. from its Hong Kong hub starting next September.

The four-times-weekly flights will mark the first time Cathay Pacific has connected Hong Kong with Washington D.C., and will also make Cathay Pacific the only airline to offer direct service between the two cities.

The airline said that the service continues its network growth and compliments its existing East Coast flights to Boston Logan International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport.

The service will also mark the longest in Cathay Pacific’s network at 8,153 miles.

“Our customers have told us they want greater options and increased flexibility,” Cathay Pacific CEO Rupert Hogg said in a statement announcing the news. “Establishing new direct air links to destinations that aren’t already served from Hong Kong enhances our city’s status as Asia’s largest international hub.”

Cathay Pacific will fly the route in its new Airbus A350-1000 that will be delivered in spring of 2018. Business, premium economy, and economy class tickets will all be available.

The new route comes as an addition to Cathay Pacific’s already-planned expansion to cities all over the world. In March, the airline will start flying new service to Brussels and in June it will add Dublin service. Then, in May, it will kick off new seasonal service to Copenhagen. In 2018 it will also expand its service to Barcelona and Tel Aviv, two of its most popular destinations.