Cathay Pacific’s recently launched summer seasonal service to Copenhagen will have its final flight on October 26 as the airline confirms it will not be bringing the route back next year.
Hong Kong’s flag carrier launched the non-stop, three-times-weekly service in May this year with one of its newer aircraft the Airbus A350-900, as part of a wider push into the European market that also saw it launch year-round flights to Brussels and Dublin.
The decision not to bring back its seasonal Copenhagen flights was made “as part of the airline’s commercial review of its network and overall aircraft deployment in Europe,” said a Cathay Pacific representative responding to a query from Business Traveller.
“The airline has been agile in operating seasonal flights in accordance to customer demand,” they added.
While the closure of the route will be a blow for travellers, they are not without alternatives. Cathay Pacific customers can fly with the airline to London Heathrow and connect to British Airways flights to Copenhagen, with business class fares in mid-May currently available from HK$44,980 (US$5,742).
Alternatively, they can simply travel the entire route with fellow Oneworld alliance carrier Finnair, which offers one-stop services between Hong Kong and Copenhagen via Helsinki during the same period for close to half the cost – HK$26,636 (US$3,400).
That being said, Hong Kong and Copenhagen won’t be losing their non-stop connection for long.
Star Alliance carrier Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) announced back in June that it would be shifting its non-stop flights to Hong Kong from Stockholm, Arlanda to Copenhagen, Kastrup from October 28 this year, following challenges to profitability on the Stockholm-Hong Kong route.
