Cathay Pacific

Those Were the Days

American Roy C Farrell and Australian Sydney H de Kantzow founded Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong on 24 September, 1946. Initially based in Shanghai, the two men eventually moved to Hong Kong and founded Cathay Pacific Airways. Legend has it that Farrell and a group of foreign correspondents thought up the airline's unique name in the bar at the Manila Hotel!

An Investment In the Future

The new company began to operate passenger flights to Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai. Expansion was fast and, in 1948, one of Hong Kong's leading trading companies, Butterfield & Swire (today known as the Swire Group) took a 45% share in the company. Under the leadership of John Kidston Swire, Butterfield & Swire became wholly responsible for the management of the airline.
Taking the Jet Age By Storm

The 1960s represented our coming of age. Between 1962 and 1967, business grew at an average rate of 20 percent a year. We also initiated international services (another world's first) to Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya in Japan.

Cathay Pacific Vision
Our vision is to make Cathay Pacific the most admired airline in the world.

* Ensuring safety comes first
* Providing Service Straight From the Heart
* Encouraging product leadership
* Delivering superior financial returns
* Providing rewarding career opportunities

Cathay Pacific Airways is an international airline registered and based in Hong Kong, offering scheduled cargo and passenger services to over 90 destinations around the world.

We are deeply committed to Hong Kong, where the Company was founded in 1946. We continue to make substantial investments to develop Hong Kong's aviation industry and enhance Hong Kong's position as a regional transportation hub. In addition to our fleet of aircraft, these investments include catering, aircraft maintenance and ground handling companies, as well as our corporate headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific and its subsidiaries and associates employ 21,000 staff in Hong Kong. The airline's two major shareholders are both Hong Kong companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as is Cathay Pacific itself.

Cathay Pacific is the major shareholder in AHK Air Hong Kong Limited, an all cargo carrier that offers scheduled services in the Asia region, and is a shareholder in Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited.

We are also a founding member of the oneworld global alliance whose combined networld serves over 570 destinations worldwide.

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