Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific to launch direct flights to Urumqi from April 28

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will launch direct flights to Urumqi in April, expanding its mainland Chinese destinations to 20.

The airline said on Friday that the 5½-hour flight between Hong Kong and Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in western China, would commence on April 28 and run four times a week.

“Urumqi is an exciting new addition to our network, directly connecting our home city with an important belt and road hub in northwestern China,” Lavinia Lau, Cathay’s chief customer and commercial officer, said.

The Belt and Road Initiative was spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013, with an aim to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe and Africa.

The new route will be operated by Airbus A330-300 aircraft with business and economy classes.

Cathay said the airline and its budget arm HK Express would operate more than 290 return flights every week between Hong Kong and mainland cities during the summer.