Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will relaunch direct flights to Rome this summer, bringing the number of its European destinations to 12.
The airline said on Wednesday that the service between Hong Kong and the Italian capital would run from June 5 to October 25.
The service was suspended in February 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The Hong Kong-Rome route, set to run three times a week, will be Cathay’s second direct connection to Italy. The airline currently operates five weekly flights to Milan, which will become daily this summer.
The company said the resumption would be convenient for those who wanted to celebrate the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year 2025.
The Jubilee, which occurs every 25 years, will be celebrated throughout 2025 with various events and activities in Rome and the Vatican City.
Cathay chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau Hoi-zee said the company’s history in Italy spanned nearly 40 years as direct flights between Hong Kong and Rome were first launched 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 ... we look forward to welcoming customers on board our flights,” she said.
Cathay’s Rome service will operate on Airbus A350-900 aircraft with scheduled departures at 00:45 and arrivals at 11:45 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Rome will be the sixth city to join Cathay’s global passenger network this year, with direct flights to Hyderabad set to begin in March, Dallas in April, Munich in June and Brussels in August. Its budget arm HK Express, meanwhile, is launching flights to Sendai in January.
Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam Siu-por said earlier that the company had restored passenger flights to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and would later this year exceed a record of more than 100 global destinations.
More from South China Morning Post:
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