The tourism industry, local dignitaries and Cairns Airport celebrated the 20 year anniversary of Hong Kong-based airline, Cathay Pacific, flying into Cairns on Friday.

Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Brown, said Cathay Pacific commenced operating into Cairns from Hong Kong on October 31, 1993, and had continued to grow the service ever since.  

“In the past 20 years, Cathay has carried around one million passengers and 50,000 tons of freight between Hong Kong and Cairns, contributing somewhere between two and three billion dollars to the region’s economy at today’s value,” Mr Brown said.  

“This year-round service plays a vital role for our international tourism industry providing the closest connectivity from Asia to the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region via the global aviation hub of Hong Kong.”

Mr Brown said with the Chinese and Asian visitor market continuing to grow for Cairns,  easy access to the Cathay connection from across China and the rest of Asia was well supported for both independent travellers and groups through Cathay’s own networks throughout China and the rest of the world.

“Not only does the route provide access for international visitors, local people travelling to Hong Kong and beyond enjoy the benefits of the direct service,” he said.

“Cathay’s continued commitment to our region was reinforced recently with their announcement that from the end of March next year they will offer four direct, non-stop services between Hong Kong and Cairns each week.

“This will provide even better connectivity and also create more opportunities to boost the region’s economy with 30% more cargo connectivity opening up new export options to local producers.  

“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cathay Pacific’s services to Cairns we look forward to continuing this excellent partnership and exploring new opportunities together for future growth.”   

General Manager Cathay Pacific Southwest Pacific, Dominic Perret, said his team was incredibly proud of the 20 year partnership between Cathay Pacific and Cairns.  

“Since we commenced flying in 1993, we have delivered a continuous service to Far North Queensland from two flights a week on a Boeing 747 to today, our Airbus A330 service offering a superior Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy cabin service that will move to four direct flights a week from early next year,” Mr Perret said.  

“This new direct service will make it more convenient for tourists to fly into Cairns from Hong Kong, Asia and the rest of the world, and particularly from many of our 22 ports in mainland China.  

“Cairns remains an important part of our Australian and global network and we remain committed to working with the team at Cairns Airport and local tourism authorities to promote Cairns and Far North Queensland to the world.”