Cathay Pacific outlines post-pandemic strategy with focus on frequency growth and new markets

Cathay Pacific targets premium market segments with a significant share of business travelers and freight traffic. Meanwhile, HK Express focuses on value-driven point-to-point routes. The two airlines codeshare on several major Asian city routes. Data indicates that 43% of HK Express’s routes face no direct competition.

Combined schedules from October 2025 to July 2026 show that Cathay Pacific and HK Express plan to serve 106 airports globally. The group operates flights to 23 airports within mainland China—accounting for about one-fifth of its total flights—and continues to expand its global presence.

Recent route additions announced by Cathay include Adelaide, Brussels, Dallas/Fort Worth (its longest route), Hyderabad, Phnom Penh, Munich, Rome, Seattle (the ninth North American destination), Tel Aviv, and Urumqi. HK Express has introduced services to Changzhou, Cheongju, Daegu, Guiyang, Ishigaki, Komatsu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur Subang, Sendai, Shimojishima, and Yiwu.

The opening of Hong Kong’s third runway in November 2024 has provided new opportunities for expansion. Lam noted that while Cathay maintains a strong presence in North America, Europe, and Australia—with further additions possible—future growth in Asia will primarily come from HK Express.

Lam highlighted new directions for development: "Our newest growth opportunity is to serve 'Belt and Road' countries, cities or hubs in support of China's development. The Middle East will be important in this [which partly explains the return to Riyadh in October 2024 and increasing flights to daily], along with flights to some hubs [such as Urumqi to reach Central Asia] and Dallas [to connect to Central America and South America]. Such routes will help with the initiative."

Looking ahead at growth strategies within Asia specifically for Cathay Pacific itself rather than destinations served by both carriers combined—Lam said: "Our network in Asia is mature so growing number of flights [rather than destinations] will be a priority."

However limitations remain regarding airport capacity: "Slots are nowadays a bigger constraint worldwide than traffic rights which is restricting our growth." He cited London Heathrow (where Cathay has five daily passenger flights) and New York JFK (three daily) as key bottlenecks alongside Chinese airports. Increasing aircraft size—including with incoming Boeing 777-9s (35 ordered)—will also play an important role in future expansion plans.