Cathay Pacific at 80: Connecting Hong Kong to Over 100 Destinations
BCD Travel recounts Cathay Pacific's 80-year history. Founded in Hong Kong in 1946 by former wartime pilots Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow with a single Douglas DC-3 aircraft, "Betsy," the airline bought its first Convair 880 in 1962, with jet aircraft accelerating network expansion. Today Cathay connects customers to more than 100 destinations worldwide across the Chinese Mainland, Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East and the Southwest Pacific. Cathay also unveiled the Aria Suite business class cabin and partnered with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority on an 80th anniversary livery.
Impact and considerations
Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong's home carrier and a major long-haul operator in Asia; its network scale, fleet upgrades and business class product refresh directly affect corporate travel route options and premium travel experience.
Key points
- Cathay Pacific was founded in Hong Kong in 1946 by former wartime pilots Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow with a single Douglas DC-3 aircraft, "Betsy."
- Cathay bought its first Convair 880 in 1962, with jet aircraft accelerating network expansion.
- Today Cathay connects customers to more than 100 destinations worldwide across the Chinese Mainland, Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East and the Southwest Pacific.
- Cathay unveiled the Aria Suite business class cabin and refreshed Premium Economy and Economy on the Boeing 777-300ER.
- Cathay partnered with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority to transform a Boeing 777-300ER into an 80th anniversary livery.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- BCD Travel
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 11 Sept 2026, 21:11
- Page published
- 12 Sept 2026, 00:03
- Last updated
- 11 Sept 2026, 21:11
- Original links
- BCD Travel RSS：Cathay at 80: From Hong Kong to the World, Together (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 11 Sept 2026, 21:11