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Matthew Cheng

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has further extended its suspension of all flights to and from the Middle East until the end of May, amid a regional conflict that shows little sign of abating.
But the airline will increase flights to Europe starting next month to cater to surging demand.
The airline has extended its suspension of Middle East routes at least four times since early March. It announced just last week that services would be cancelled until the end of April.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Cathay said flights between Hong Kong and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, as well as between the city and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, would remain suspended until the end of May.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and will remain agile in our response,” the airline said. “The safety of our customers and people guides every decision we make.”
Affected travellers will be offered flexibility to rebook, reroute or cancel their tickets, Cathay said.
According to its website, travellers who have bought flights between Hong Kong and Riyadh up to June 30 can rebook, reroute or get refunds for their tickets without being charged the usual administrative fees.
The airline previously said it would waive rebooking, rerouting or refunding fees for passengers booked to travel between Hong Kong and the two Gulf cities up to May 31.

Meanwhile, in response to a surge in demand for services to Europe, the airline said it would operate three additional return flights to Paris in France and Zurich in Switzerland next month. Seats would also be added on 13 return flights to the British capital, London.
An escalation in regional hostilities, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has severely disrupted Middle Eastern airspace, leading to a massive wave of flight cancellations affecting millions of travellers.
The extended cancellations have also affected local tours.
Travel agency WWPKG said on Tuesday that all Middle East tour groups departing or transiting before May 31 would be cancelled, saying the safety of travellers was its top priority. Affected customers can transfer to another tour or receive a full refund.
Cathay is among four carriers operating direct flights between Hong Kong and the Middle East.
Emirates, Qatar and Etihad Airways earlier announced on their websites limited services between Hong Kong and Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, respectively.
Experts earlier said that the impact of Cathay halting services between the city and the Middle East would be limited. The drop in demand and the fact that most flights were operated by Middle Eastern carriers meant the city’s airline industry would not be hugely affected, they said.
The ongoing Middle East conflict also prompted a surge in fuel surcharges on plane tickets this month, with Cathay and its budget arm HK Express doubling the fees last week.
Greater Bay Airlines also raised its fuel surcharges by more than double, and Hong Kong Airlines raised its fees by up to 35.2 per cent.
Additional reporting by Danny Mok


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Transport

Hong Kong Economy

Dubai and Riyadh service suspension extended again but airline will increase flights to Europe next month to cater to surging demand


Dubai and Riyadh service suspension extended again but airline will increase flights to Europe next month to cater to surging demand.


Middle East

Cathay Pacific extends suspension of flights between Hong Kong, Middle East to end of May

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Dubai and Riyadh service suspension extended again but airline will increase flights to Europe next month to cater to surging demand

Dubai and Riyadh service suspension extended again but airline will increase flights to Europe next month to cater to surging demand