Cathay Pacific Airways has announced that it will add a second daily non-stop service from Hong Kong to Jakarta from the start of the winter season, offering passengers the choice of making a morning or afternoon departure and quicker access to connections through the Hong Kong hub, and offering more choice for UAE travellers going to Jakarta.The announcement follows the news of the airline’s interim results, reporting a drop in earnings due to rising fuel costs. Although the aviation industry is suffering from a worldwide increase in fuel prices, Cathay Pacific has continued its investment in the Middle East, signifying its commitment to better serve the Middle East market.

Operated by a two-class Airbus 330-300, the service will start on November 1st and will complement the existing daily non-stop Boeing 777-300 service from Hong Kong to Jakarta. It will also replace the current daily one-stop service to Jakarta via Singapore.

“The second non-stop flight between Hong Kong and Jakarta service is excellent news as it connects extremely well with our flights both to and from Dubai. The two daily non-stops will make it even more convenient to travel with Cathay Pacific Airways to Jakarta and will be a boon to the Indonesian community here in the UAE” commented Philip Herbert, Country Manager UAE and Oman for Cathay Pacific.

The announcement is part of the airline’s continued commitment to expand its services despite rising fuel costs. Cathay Pacific reported substantial gains in turnover and passenger numbers in the first half of 2005 but interim results were dampened by record high fuel costs.

“As with all airlines, we are operating in a very difficult cost environment. The fuel price is hitting the industry hard indeed but even in such challenging times we continue to build our network and remain steadfast in our commitment to providing the best possible service to our customers”, continued Mr. Herbert.

Cathay Pacific this month added a third daily service to Los Angeles and will soon operate a fourth daily flight to London. The airline has so far this year launched services to Xiamen and freighter services to Shanghai and added more flights to Amsterdam, Beijing, Denpasar, Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh City, Johannesburg, Nagoya and Perth. Later this year the airline will inaugurate freighter services to Atlanta and Dallas.

Cathay Pacific currently flies 13 times a week between Dubai and Hong Kong, with 7 direct flights, 2 services via Bahrain and 4 services via Mumbai and Bangkok, and was recently named Airline of the Year 2005 in a poll conducted by UK-based Skytrax Research.
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