Cathay Pacific to launch new service to Dusseldorf

Cathay Pacific Airways plans to expand its presence in Europe with a new four-times-weekly passenger service to Dusseldorf beginning Sept. 1 this year, company sources said on Thursday.

The plan is subject to government approval, and Dusseldorf will become the airline's second destination in Germany, after Frankfurt, said Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Ivan Chu.

The plan marks the latest enhancement to the airline's Europe network following the launch of Manchester in December 2014 and Zurich, which will commence operations in March. Tickets for the Dusseldorf service are now open for sale.

Dusseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, and is renowned as an international business center as well as for staging major fashion and trade fairs.

To ensure passengers enjoy maximum comfort during their flight between Hong Kong and Dusseldorf, Cathay Pacific will operate the new service using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft equipped with its refreshed First Class, award-winning Business Class and new Premium Economy and long-haul Economy Class seats.

"We are very pleased to further expand our European network by launching this new Dusseldorf service, which will help to meet the rising demand for business and leisure travel between Germany and Hong Kong. This latest destination launch also underscores Cathay Pacific's ongoing commitment to building Hong Kong's position as one of the world's great international aviation hubs," said the chief executive.

Cathay Pacific currently operates 77 flights a week between Hong Kong and a number of European cities, including London, Manchester, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rome, Milan and Moscow. Endi