Cathay Pacific is launching a new four-times-weekly service between Hong Kong and Hyderabad, India’s fourth largest city and a centre for information technology and pharmaceutical industries, starting from December 1.
Flight CX649 will depart from Hong Kong on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 2235, touching down in Hyderabad at 0205 the next day. The return leg will leave Hyderabad on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 0335 and arrive in Hong Kong at 1055 or 1100 on Monday.
“Hyderabad is a fast-growing technology hub and we are excited by the opportunities it offers,” said Cathay Pacific chief executive John Slosar.
Hyderabad, located inland about 700 km due east of Mumbai, is home to a large number of international technology firms including Google, IBM, Yahoo, Dell. It has the 54-acre Microsoft India Development Centre, the firm’s largest research centre outside the US.
Alongside tech companies, Hyderabad also has a large number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies which led it to be dubbed "Genome Valley" in addition to being known as India's Silicon Valley.
In May this year, Cathay Pacfic’s cargo arm began a new twice-weekly freighter service to Hyderabad with the aim of serving the growing pharmaceutical sector located in the city.
“Hyderabad is one of the major hubs for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals in India, accounting for around one-third of the country’s prescription drug production,” said the airline's director cargo Nick Rhodes. “So we expect a strong demand for our specialised Pharma LIFT products and services.”
Cathay and sister airline Dragonair currently have flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. A new Dragonair service to Kolkata will begin November 2 (see story here)
For more information, visit www.cathaypacific.com.
Nicholas Olczak
