Cathay Pacific has announced it will discontinue its daily Hong Kong–Doha service early next year, as route partner Qatar Airways simultaneously said it will ramp up its service on the route to twice daily.
Cathay said the cancellation is due to “commercial reasons”. The move follows other cutbacks on Middle Eastern operations that saw the removal of premium economy class from all flights to the region.
Meanwhile Qatar Airways announced that it will resume twice-daily services between Doha and Hong Kong, as opposed to the single service it currently operates alongside Cathay Pacific's daily flight.
“The resumption of our twice-daily services on the Hong Kong-Doha route will strengthen our competitiveness and leadership in one of the world's key global aviation hubs," said Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker.
"Next year will mark a decade of successful operations for Qatar Airways in Hong Kong and we are pleased to inform our Hong Kong-based passengers that they can look forward to our award-winning hospitality on board both daily flights departing from Hong Kong direct to our state-of-the-art home Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, from February 16, 2016 onwards."
Business class
While Cathay Pacific will continue to codeshare on the Hong Kong to Doha route, it will no longer place its CX code on onward Qatar Airways-operated flights from Doha to other destinations, which may suggest the joint business partnership between both airlines has weakened.
However, Al Baker said: "Cathay Pacific remains one of our important strategic partners within the Oneworld alliance and I am confident both Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific will continue to explore mutual business cooperation opportunities in the future."
Cathay Pacific will operate its last flight to Doha out of Hong Kong on February 15, 2016 with the final return service to commence the day after. The airline will provide alternative travel arrangements for passengers affected by the change, including accommodating them on Qatar Airways-operated flights.
The Hong Kong-based carrier reiterated its commitment to the Middle East market by stating that it will “continue to identify opportunities to strengthen its services to and from the region".
For more information, visit cathaypacific.com
Clement Huang
