Cathay Pacific will soon launch flights between Hong Kong and Almaty, Kazakhstan’s commercial and cultural capital, from Q1 2027.
Discussions are underway to operate three flights weekly on an Airbus A330-300 widebody aircraft.
This will also be the only direct service linking the two destinations, and Cathay’s first-ever destination in Central Asia.
Kazakhstan, which has a growing tourism sector offering summer and winter outdoor activities, is set to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029.
Calling Central Asia “a strategically important Belt and Road region that offers ample business opportunities,” Lavinia Lau, Cathay chief customer and commercial officer noted that the new direct link would foster “new opportunities for people, cargo and capital flow with this dynamic region”.
It also builds on the momentum from Cathay Pacific’s launch of direct flights to Urumqi in Northwestern China last year. Describing the city as a gateway to the region, Lau said the city’s close proximity to Central Asia had “extended our reach not only in the Chinese Mainland, but also to other key destinations along the Belt and Road”.
The announcement comes on the back of a larger business delegation from Hong Kong to Kazakhstan on 1 June, led by John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as part of a move to further business and trade cooperation among Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and Central Asian countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.
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