Cathay Pacific has launched its new route between Hong Kong and Manchester, the only direct non-stop service between the two destinations.
The inaugural flight was due to land in Manchester at 0620, before departing for the return leg at midday.
Cathay is serving the route with B777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, with 40 seats in business class, 32 in premium economy and 268 of the carrier's new economy seats.
The four times-weekly service will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving China at 0100 and arriving into the UK at 0620, returning at 1200 and landing back into Hong Kong at 0755 the following day.
The new flights also allow Cathay to offer what it says is the fastest flight time between Manchester and Sydney (21 hours 50 minutes), compared with Emirates' routing via Dubai (22 hours 10 minutes).
The new route coincides with the launch of a codeshare partnership between Flybe and Cathay Pacific (see news, December 4), allowing passengers to purchase single tickets from regional UK cities including Aberdeen and Exeter, through Manchester and onto Hong Kong.
Mark Caswell