Cathay Pacific celebrates 40 years of flying to Fukuoka
HONG KONG (Cathay Pacific) - Cathay Pacific Airways today celebrated the 40th anniversary of flights to Fukuoka with a special event in the Japanese city hosted by the airline’s Chief Executive, Philip Chen. Guest of honour was Mr Watsura Aso, Governor of Fukuoka, with representatives from the travel trade and other business partners also in attendance. To mark the occasion, Cathay Pacific is mounting two extra non-stop flights between Hong Kong and Fukuoka to make more seats available over the holiday weekends in Hong Kong and Japan.
Cathay Pacific started services to Fukuoka in 1965 with two flights a week operated by an Electra aircraft. The airline now operates a daily flight with a stopover in Taipei. The past 40 years have seen continued expansion on the route,carrying more and more travellers between the Kyushu area and Hong Kong.
Fukuoka is the closest major Japanese city to Hong Kong and its close proximity to the airport makes it an ideal gateway to the Kyushu region. Cathay Pacific plays an important role in promoting Hong Kong as a leisure and business destination to travellers from Fukuoka and Kyushu. This year Cathay Pacific launched the successful "Hong Kong Tohiko" campaign – run in conjunction with the Hong Kong Tourism Board - to position Hong Kong as an ideal short holiday destination. At the same time the airline is working actively with local tourism organisation to promote tourism in the Kyushu area.
Speaking at the anniversary event, Mr Chen said:"Our success on the Fukuoka route over the past four decades reflects the growth of Cathay Pacific as a premium international carrier and Hong Kong's strength as a global aviation hub. Fukuoka is the gateway to Greater Kyushu and we are committed to further strengthening this route. We are also working hard to promote tourism in both cities so that more Hong Kong people can enjoy the special delights of Fukuoka, while Japanese travellers can enjoy the many pleasures of Hong Kong."
The Japan market is an integral part of Cathay Pacific's business. The airline currently offers the most flights between Japan and Hong Kong operating 88 passenger flights and 11 freighter services weekly to five major Japan gateways: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo.
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