By Steven Knight, ASCAP
The History of Cathay Pacific Airways
Cathay Pacific Airways is based in Hong Kong, China, and serves more than 120 cities worldwide. The airline is a member of the one-world alliance, along with American Airlines and British Airways, among others.
Founding
Cathay Pacific was founded by Roy C. Farrell and Sydney H. de Kantzow on Sept. 24, 1946. Farrell and a group of foreign journalists are said to have come up with the airline's unusual name at a Manila hotel bar.
Jet Service
Hong Kong International Airport Photo: bryangeek (www.flickr.com)
The airline began jet service in the 1960s to the Japanese cities of Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya. By 1973, Cathay Pacific was carrying 1 million passengers each year. The airline introduced service to London in 1979.
1980s and 1990s
Cathay Pacific expanded international service in the 1980s, adding stops in Brisbane, Australia and Frankfurt, Germany. Although the early 1990s were difficult for the airline industry, Cathay Pacific maintained the youngest fleet in the world, spending $9 billion for new aircraft during this decade.
Cargo Service
The airline expanded its cargo service in the 1990s. Cathay Pacific's cargo flights make up 30 percent of the airline's annual revenue. In 2002, the airline and DHL created Air Hong Kong, offering overnight cargo service with its Airbus fleet.
Millennium and Beyond
Passenger flights to Beijing were introduced in 2003. Cathay Pacific increased its services to Mainland China with its 2006 purchase of Dragonair. Today, the airline operates a fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft with an average service age of 10.2 years.
About the Author:
Steve Knight is currently reporter/editor-in-chief of The Collegian and a journalism student at Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, Texas. Knight previously taught instrumental music in the Texas public schools for several years and is active as a composer and arranger.
Photo Credits:
StarvingFox http://www.flickr.com/photos/terenceong/1387153852/
