Airline Chronological History
Cathay Pacific Airways was founded on 24 September 1946 by Australian Sydney de Kantzow and American Roy Farrell, initially based in Shanghai. Both men were ex-air force pilots Farrell purchased the airline's first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, nicknamed Betsy, in New York on 6 October 1945. The company began freight services in January 1946 with two DC-3s between Australia and China. (its first commercial flight was a shipment of clothes from Sydney to Shanghai), but the profitable business soon attracted attention from Republic of China government officials. After several instances where the company's planes were detained by authorities in Shanghai, on 11 May 1946 the company relocated, flying its two planes to Hong Kong.
The airline's first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, nicknamed Betsy (Photo: wikiswire.com) The airline initially flew routes between Hong Kong, Sydney, Manila, Singapore, Shanghai, and Canton, while scheduled service was limited to Bangkok, Manila, and Singapore only.In 1948 Butterfield & Swire (now known as Swire Group) bought 45% of Cathay Pacific, with Australian National Airways taking 35% and Farrell and de Kantzow taking 10% each. The new company began operations on 1 July 1948 and was registered as Cathay Pacific (1948) Ltd on 18 October 1948.
In 1959, Cathay Pacific acquired Hong Kong Airways, and became the dominant airline in Hong Kong. Two Lockheed Electra aircraft were introduced to the fleet, then painted in a sleek green-and-white livery in 1960. It was the first aircraft to offer First class and Economy cabins, the Electras flew until 1967.
In 1960 Two Lockheed Electra aircraft were introduced to the fleet, they were the first aircraft to offer First class and Economy cabins. (Photo: cathaypacific.com) Between 1962 and 1967, the airline recorded double digit growth on average every year and became the world's first airline to operate international services to Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka in Japan. In 1964, it acquired its first jet engine aircraft, the Convair 880.
In 1964, it acquired its first jet engine aircraft, the Convair 880 (Photo: chingchic.com) In the 1970s, Cathay Pacific installed a computerised reservation system and flight simulators. Another milestone came in 1971 when it received the first of 12 Boeing 707-320C it had placed an order for. In 1975 it operated the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, an aircraft that it would eventually have 19 examples flying at a time. (until 1996). In 1979, the airline acquired its first Boeing 747 and applied for traffic rights to begin flying to London in 1980, with the first flight on 16 July.
In 1971 it received the first of 12 Boeing 707-320C. 
In 1975 it operated the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. (Photo: jetphotos.com). 
In 1979, the airline acquired its first Boeing 747. (Photo: aussieairliners.org). Expansion continued into the 1980s, with nonstop service to Vancouver in 1983, with continuing service on to San Francisco in 1986.In January 1990, Cathay Pacific and its parent company, Swire Pacific, acquired a significant shareholding in Dragonair,
On 1 July 1997, the administration of Hong Kong was transferred from the UK to the People's Republic of China as part of the Hong Kong handover. Most of the airline's aircraft were registered in Hong Kong with a registration beginning with "VR". Under the terms of an agreement all registrations were changed by December 1997 to the prefix "B" used by the People's Republic of China. On 21 May 1998, Cathay Pacific took the first delivery of the Boeing 777-300 at a ceremony in Everett.
In 1998, Cathay Pacific took the first delivery of the Boeing 777-300 at a ceremony in Everett. (Photo: cathaypacific.com) From 1996, Cathay started to receive new Airbus A340-300 which would be replacing the older Boeing 747-400 and offering new economics and power efficiencies. Those airbus A340-300 went on to serve with the airline until 2017.
In 1996, Cathay received its first A340-300. (Photo: flickr.com). On 21 September 1998, Cathay Pacific, together with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, and Qantas, co-founded the Oneworld airline alliance. On Monday, 6 July 1998, Kai Tak International Airport saw its last commercial departure, Cathay Pacific Flight 251 to London Heathrow Airport, after over 73 years of operation. The next day, Cathay Pacific Flight 889 from New York was the first arrival to the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong.
The 2000's saw Cathay Pacific experience labour relations issues, while completing the acquisition of Dragonair. On 28 November 2002, the airline took delivery of its first Airbus A340-600. On 1 December 2005, Cathay Pacific ordered 16 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline also ordered 3 more A330-300 on the same day. On 7 August 2007, Cathay Pacific ordered five more wide-body Boeing 777-300ER .
On 28 November 2002, the airline took delivery of its first Airbus A340-600. (Photo: jetphotos.com) On September 28, 2006, the airline underwent a shareholding realignment under which Dragonair became a wholly owned subsidiary but continued to operate under its own brand. Dragonair had originally planned significant international expansion. It was already operating services to Bangkok and Tokyo, and was to have a dedicated cargo fleet of nine Boeing 747-400BCF aircraft by 2009 operating to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Columbus. It had also acquired three Airbus A330-300 aircraft to commence services to Sydney and Seoul. In March 2009, the airline reported a record full-year loss of HK$8.56 billion for 2008, which was also the carrier's first since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. This has resulted in frequencies being reduced to certain destinations, ad hoc cancellations on other routes, deferred capital expenditure, parked aircraft and introduced a Special Leave Scheme for staff to conserve money.
In 2010, Cathay Pacific had taken delivery of several new aircraft types, including the Airbus A330-300 and more Boeing 777-300 ER.
The fleet of Boeing 777-300ER continued to grow in 2010 to operate over 50 units of the long haul airliner. (Photo: planespotters.net) 
During the 2000's Cathay already operated the A330 with more aircraft arriving during 2008. (Photo: planespotters.net) The same year in 2010, Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled its latest innovations in product and services: its new Business Class seat, for premium passengers beginning March 2011, and the new uniform for the cabin crew, created by Hong Kong designer Eddie Lau. In 2011, the company started to strengths Hong Kong’s role as an airfreight hub and began the process of building the new Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal.
In 2012, Cathay Pacific fleet added a total of 30 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft set to arrive by 2012. These were the backbone of the airline’s ultra-long-haul passenger fleet, with benefits in terms of fuel efficiency.
In 2013, Cathay Pacific Airways announced that it will add a fourth daily direct flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong on June of 2014 and three additional direct flights from Chicago to Hong Kong on August of 2014.
The years 2014 and 2015 were marked by the largest network expansion with six new long-haul routes, Boston, Newark, Doha, Manchester, Dusseldorf, and Zurich were added. In November 2015, Cathay Pacific revealed a refreshed livery, featuring its trademark, the “brushwing” logo an all-green tail, but with a simpler paint scheme, and its latest motto – “Life Well Travelled”, also used for its subsidiary, Dragonair.
In November 2015, the airline revealed a refreshed livery, featuring its trademark, on an all-green tail, but with a simpler paint scheme. (Photo: jetphotos.com) Cathay Pacific took delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 in May 2016, becoming one of the early operators of Airbus’ next-generation long-haul twinjet. The A350-900 introduced significant improvements in fuel efficiency, range, and passenger comfort. Cathay configured its A350 fleet in a three-class layout featuring Business, Premium Economy, and Economy Class, along with enhanced cabin pressure, quieter engines, and improved humidity levels for a more comfortable journey.
Its first Airbus A350-900 was handed over in May 2016. (Photo: airhistory.net) In January 2016, Cathay Pacific announced the rebranding of Dragonair as Cathay Dragon. The Cathay Dragon livery was redesigned by using Cathay Pacific’s iconic “brushwing” logo on an all-red tail, to align more closely the two airlines that will remain separate airlines, each operating under its own license.
In 2016, Cathay Pacific announced it was rebranding Dragonair as Cathay Dragon. (Photo: planepictures.net) On 8 October 2016, Cathay Pacific retired their last passenger Boeing 747, with a farewell scenic flight around Hong Kong after over 35 years of service of the type. The final passenger flight was operated by aircraft B-HUJ, a Boeing 747-400 delivered to the airline in 1995. The historic farewell service departed Hong Kong as CX874 to Taipei Taoyuan and returned the same day as CX873, marking the type’s final journey.
The last passenger flight of the Boeing 747-400 was on October 8, 2016 from Hong Kong to Taipei and back the same day, ending the iconic airliner services since 1995. (Photo: planespotters.net) In August 2017, Cathay Dragon signed a memorandum of understanding for 32 Airbus A321neo aircraft to modernize and expand its single-aisle fleet from 2020.
As well, in 2017 Cathay Pacific continued to receive more new Airbus A350 aircraft which offered new levels of service and flying to new destinations in it's latest expansion programme.
In June 2018, Cathay Pacific received its first Airbus A350 1000 aircraft of an order of 20, becoming the second airline in the world to fly the long-range jet. The new Airbus A350 1000 aircraft in a three-class configuration will replace the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on several existing routes, such as Amsterdam, Madrid, and Zurich, after its debut on Cathay Pacific’s newest and longest non-stop route, Hong Kong – Washington.
New horizons; the first A350-1000 was delivered in 2018. (Photo: airwaysmag.com) In July 2019, Cathay Pacific completed the acquisition of Hong Kong Express Airways, a low-cost carrier that provides scheduled service to 27 destinations in Asia. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, HK Express will continue to operate as a stand-alone airline.
HK Express become part of the Cathay Pacific Parent company in 2019. (Photo: community.infiniteflight.com) In March 2020, Cathay Pacific announced it expects a substantial loss in the first half of 2020 as the coronavirus epidemic, which hit the aviation industry hard because of travel bans and quarantine measures, forced it to cancel as much as 96% of flights at one point.
In October 2020, as part of the restructuring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cathay Dragon ceased all operations. The vast majority of the staff, cabin crews, and pilots at the regional subsidiary were laid off, and the company also announced that it would cut 6,000 jobs, about 18% of its total workforce.
As a consequence of the pandemic, in 2020 Cathay Dragon ceased operations, so Cathay Pacific inherited its planes and rebranded into the parent airline. New arrivals such as this Airbus A321Neo in November 2020 were painted in the Cathay livery. (Photo: planespotters.net). In 2021, Cathay Pacific’s passenger revenue was severely affected by COVID-19-related travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in Hong Kong and worldwide. Cathay Pacific reported a loss after tax of HK$1,728 million for 2021.
In 2022, after three years of unprecedented disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cathay Pacific’s passenger revenue increased by 214.9% compared with 2021. Cathay Pacific ended the year operating about one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity to 58 destinations, double the 29 destinations the airline flew to in January.
In the first half of 2023, Cathay Pacific worked to rebuild connectivity at the Hong Kong international aviation hub. With border controls fully lifted in early 2023, the Cathay Group, comprised Cathay Pacific, HK Express, and Cathay Cargo. The airline shifted from survival mode to aggressive network restoration and long-term growth planning.
From 2023, the Cathay Group, comprised Cathay Pacific, HK Express, and Cathay Cargo with it's fleet of Boeing 747-8F. (Photo: stattimes.com). Throughout 2023, Cathay Pacific progressively reinstated long-haul and regional services that had been suspended during the pandemic. Key routes to Europe, North America, Australia, and Southeast Asia were restored, including increased frequencies to London Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt, Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), Sydney, Melbourne, and major Asian business destinations such as Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Manila. The airline also resumed several secondary regional routes that had not operated for nearly three years. By the end of 2023, Cathay Pacific and low-cost subsidiary HK Express together had rebuilt a significant portion of the group’s pre-pandemic passenger capacity, though still below 2019 levels.
Financially, 2023 marked a major turnaround. After consecutive years of heavy losses, the Cathay Group returned to profitability, supported by strong pent-up travel demand, resilient cargo operations, and improved operational efficiency.
Fleet modernization became a central pillar of Cathay Pacific’s strategy from 2023 onward. The airline continued taking delivery of Airbus A321neo aircraft for regional services, gradually replacing older A321ceo and A320 family aircraft inherited from Cathay Dragon. The A321neo features an upgraded cabin with business, premium economy-style extra-legroom seating in economy.
During 2023 Cathay Pacific continued to receive new Airbus A321Neo with upgraded business cabins. (Photo: firstclass.flights) 
The newer Airbus A321Neo also offered upgraded premium economy with extra-legroom seating in economy. (Photo: firstclass.flights) Cathay Pacific reaffirmed its commitment to the Boeing 777-9, part of the 777X family, for which it is one of the launch customers. Although certification delays pushed back entry into service, Cathay maintained its order as a cornerstone of its future ultra-long-haul fleet.
Cathay Pacific reaffirmed its commitment to the Boeing 777-9, being an early customer with deliveries yet to be confirmed after certification of the type. (Photo: airdatanews.com). During 2024, Cathay Pacific accelerated network expansion beyond simple restoration. The airline announced and launched new destinations not previously served or not served for many years, as part of a strategy to reinforce Hong Kong’s status as a global aviation hub. Additional European routes were introduced or reinstated, and seasonal services were expanded to leisure destinations in Southern Europe. In Asia, the carrier strengthened connectivity to Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Operationally, rebuilding manpower has been a significant challenge since 2023. Following large-scale redundancies and restructuring in 2020–2021, Cathay needed to recruit and retrain thousands of pilots, cabin crew, and ground staff to support its network recovery. The airline launched extensive recruitment campaigns in Hong Kong and overseas, reactivating training pipelines and simulator programs.
HK Express, fully integrated into the Cathay Group strategy, expanded aggressively since the pandemic, as the group’s low-cost arm. It has taken delivery of additional Airbus A320neo family aircraft and launched new regional leisure routes across Northeast and Southeast Asia. This dual-brand strategy allows Cathay Pacific to focus on premium long-haul and key regional business markets while HK Express captures price-sensitive traffic and short-haul leisure demand.
With it's low cost airline, HK Express, it continued to receive in 2023 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft and launched new regional leisure routes across Northeast and Southeast Asia. (Photo: planespotters.net). By 2025 and into 2026, Cathay Pacific largely restored its global footprint and is actively pursuing growth beyond pre-pandemic capacity levels. Hong Kong International Airport’s third runway system, fully operational, has supported this expansion by increasing slot availability and strengthening the airport’s competitiveness against regional hubs such as Singapore and Seoul.
As of today, the recovery of Cathay Pacific is one of the most successful stories in Aviation since the pandemic hit. From 2020 to 2025, represents one of the most transformative chapters in Cathay Pacific’s history. The airline moved from crisis recovery to strategic renewal, marked by profitability restoration, rapid network rebuilding, substantial fleet modernization, cabin innovation, sustainability commitments, and renewed ambition to reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a leading international aviation hub.
Today the airline has one of the most modern fleets in Asia, with a good quality of customer service and has won many awards for its highly regarded reputation and service standards.
Airline Factual Information
The airline's operations and subsidiaries have scheduled passenger and cargo services to over 82 destinations in 30 countries worldwide. Cathay Pacific has it's main hub located in Hong Kong International Airport where it flies to all it's international destinations. The airport has easy connection facilities and a quick transfer service to either the mainland or to Macau.
It's also worth noting that together with it's subsidiary low cost airline, HK Express, it flies to many more destinations in Asia under the low cost banner. Some destination are also served by the two airlines.
The destinations* served by Cathay Pacific are found below: (HK Express not included)
Updated February 2026
With a modern fleet of Aircraft, Cathay Pacific has a combined wide and narrow body fleet. However, most of it's routes are configured for long haul operations and high density flights. Therefore it uses most of its aircraft for all routes, from an hour's flight up to the long trans-oceanic or continental flights to Europe or the USA. It currently has over 179 aircraft in service with new Airbus A321Neo, A330-900 and Boeing 777-9 scheduled to arrive in the next decade.
The fleet* consists of the following aircraft:
Updated February 2026
Reviews and comments ⭐
What Stands Out 😀👍 | Needs Improvement 🫤👎 |
✅ Award-Winning Economy Class: Frequently cited as having the world's best economy class, with ergonomic seats and generous legroom. | 👎 Poor Customer Support: Many passengers report "shocking" service from call centers and long wait times for issue resolution. |
✅ Top-Tier Inflight Entertainment: High praise for the 4K screens, vast movie library, and the ability to use personal Bluetooth headphones. | 👎 Difficult Refund Processes: A recurring complaint involves the struggle to receive refunds or compensation for cancelled and delayed flights. |
✅ Exceptional Lounges: The "The Pier" and "The Wing" lounges in Hong Kong remain industry benchmarks for luxury, food, and design. | 👎 Inconsistent Staff Interaction: While some crew are "phenomenal," others are described as "disinterested," "robotic," or "unresponsive" to requests. |
✅ Quality Dining Partnerships: Positive feedback for Michelin-starred collaborations and authentic "Hong Kong Flavours" in premium cabins. | 👎 Cleaning Standards: Recent reports highlight lapses in cabin cleanliness, including trash left in seat pockets and dusty surfaces. |
✅ Modern Aircraft Technology: Passengers appreciate the quiet and pressurized cabins of the newer Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 fleets. | 👎 Unreliable IT & App Experience: Users often complain about the mobile app being "painful" to use for check-ins or managing bookings. |
✅ Excellent First Class Privacy: Long-haul First Class is lauded for its massive, comfortable seats that feel like a private room. | 👎 Flight Disruptions: Frequent mentions of last-minute cancellations and missed connections without adequate ground support or vouchers. |
*Reviews are collected from independent sites and compelled by the most representative reviews and comments. Planet Airlines Ltd remains impartial to any airlines.