Hong Kong’s Cathay to reinstate service to Riyadh in advance of meeting with lawmakers as government seeks closer ties with Saudis

Some lawmakers and tourism sector figures say flag carrier Cathay Pacific should give back to public after posting HK$9.78 billion profit, first in four years

Cathay to relaunch flights to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in final quarter of year as government seeks to strengthen trade ties with country

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Cathy’s figures for February showed it carried 1.8 million passengers, up 61.6 per cent, year on year and 107,039 tonnes of cargo, a 3 per cent increase. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 1:06pm, 21 Mar 2024Updated: 11:12pm, 21 Mar 2024

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has pledged to reinstate a strategic route between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh in advance of a meeting with lawmakers on Friday and amid mounting pressure to offer perks such as ticket discounts to give back to the public after it posted a hefty profit last year.

Lawmakers and industry observers made the calls on Thursday for the airline to fulfil its “social responsibility” before a Legislative Council economic development panel meeting the next day to discuss Cathay Pacific’s recent flight cancellations fiasco because of a shortage of pilots.

The airline added that it would relaunch passenger flights between Hong Kong and Riyadh in the fourth quarter of the year as the government pursued stronger trade and investment links with Saudi Arabia.

Sources familiar with the situation said the announcement had pre-empted a plan by some lawmakers to call for Cathay to restart the Saudi route, which was axed in March 2017.

“When the government is in need of expanding into the Middle East, our flag carrier has the right to operate the route but doesn’t offer direct services to Riyadh,” one source said.

The source added that the government’s delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu had to take indirect flights last year, which was not conducive to business.

The news came as lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, also a member of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council, called for Cathay to offer perks to the public after it posted a massive profit for its last financial year.