HONG KONG, 14 January 2024: Cathay Pacific confirms flights to Rome will start this summer, making it the 12th European destination and another step closer to the group’s target of reaching 100 global destinations in 2025.
Direct flights to Rome will begin on 5 June 2025 as a three-times-weekly summer seasonal service.
The Hong Kong-Rome route will be Cathay Pacific’s second direct connection between its home hub and Italy. The airline currently operates five weekly return flights to Milan, which will increase to daily flights this summer.
Visitors to Rome can look forward to exploring one of Europe’s most impressive historical and cultural centres, which boasts countless monuments, landmarks, museums, and churches. Cathay Pacific’s return to the city is especially timely, providing travellers from Asia with a convenient connection to the Italian capital as the Catholic Church celebrates the 2025 Year of Jubilee.
Once every 25 years, the Jubilee will see various events and celebrations in Vatican City and Rome throughout the year.
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “Cathay Pacific’s history in Italy stretches back close to 40 years when we first launched direct flights between Hong Kong and Rome in 1986. We know our customers have been eagerly anticipating the return of this route, and we are delighted to be returning to Italy’s marvellous capital this summer. Whether they travel for business, leisure or the 2025 Jubilee celebrations, we look forward to welcoming customers onboard our flights to experience our world-class service.”
Cathay Pacific’s Rome service deploys Airbus A350-900 aircraft on the route, which are configured with three cabin classes: business (flat beds), premium economy, and economy.
Flight schedules are as follows (all times local, subject to change and regulatory approval):
The Cathay Group has announced six cities are joining its global passenger network in 2025. In addition to Rome, Cathay Pacific is launching direct flights to Hyderabad in March, Dallas in April, Munich in June and Brussels in August this year. Meanwhile, the group’s low-cost carrier, HK Express, launches flights to Sendai in January. The two airlines project that they will operate passenger services to 100 destinations worldwide within 2025.
