Cathay Pacific’s Inaugural Service Between Hong Kong and Changsha Takes Flight

Cathay Pacific has today announced the launch of their inaugural nonstop flight between Hong Kong and Changsha.  This is the carrier’s fifth Chinese Mainland destination added this year, expanding their Mainland network to 24 destinations. 

Cathay Pacific’s Inaugural Flight CX968 was Welcomed with a Traditional Water Cannon Salute at Changsha Huanghua International Airport on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 – Courtesy Cathay Pacific

On Tuesday (November 4, 2025), Cathay Pacific announced the launch of their inaugural flight between Hong Kong and Changsha.  This new daily direct route is the airline’s fifth new Chinese Mainland destination added this year, along with Urumqi operated by Cathay Pacific and Changzhou, Yiwu and Guiyang operated by HK Express, expanding the Group’s Chinese Mainland network to 24 destinations.  This new daily service will provide customers from Hong Kong and across the globe with seamless access to the capital of China’s Hunan Province, while those travelling from Changsha can conveniently connect to the Cathay Group’s global network of over 100 passenger destinations via Hong Kong.  To mark the start of the new service, Cathay Pacific held a launch ceremony at Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

Speaking at the ceremony, Cathay Pacific’s Director – Chinese Mainland, Arnold Cheng, said,

“The launch of our Changsha route marks another important step in Cathay’s strategic expansion in the Chinese Mainland, underscoring our unique position of having deep roots in Hong Kong, being proudly part of China and connecting the world.  This new service reinforces our role in enhancing connectivity between key cities across the Chinese Mainland and the rest of the world, making travel between Hong Kong, Changsha and beyond more seamless for our customers, while showcasing the vibrancy and rich heritage of Hunan Province to travellers from around the globe.”

Cathay Pacific's Hong Kong-Changsha Schedule - Courtesy Cathay Pacific

Also commenting at the Launch Ceremony, Hunan Airport Management Group’s Marketing Director Zhou Yun, said,

“Hong Kong is an important gateway between Hunan and the world.  The direct flights between Changsha and Hong Kong not only make travelling between the two cities easier, but also foster economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Hunan and Hong Kong.  With the launch of the new route, travellers from Hunan can enjoy added convenience through seamless check-in and baggage through-check services to connect to over 100 destinations worldwide.  At the same time, global travellers can conveniently transit via Hong Kong to reach Changsha.  The new service also helps deepen cooperation between Hunan and Hong Kong, promote inbound tourism to Hunan and advance the opening-up of the province.  The Airport Group will continue to work closely with all parties to ensure an efficient route operation, while using this as a new starting point to further expand its global network and contribute to Hunan’s development.”

Cathay Pacific celebrated the launch of its non-stop daily service to Changsha with a special ceremony, joined by Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam (eighth from left), Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau (seventh from right), Hunan Airport Management Group Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager Cui Wusong (eighth from right), Deputy Director and First-level Inspector of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Hunan Province Guo Xiangli (seventh from left), and Second-level Inspector of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Hunan Province Dai Xuefeng (sixth from right), among others - Ciurtesy Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific’s new Hong Kong-Changsha service will be operated with a state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo, featuring Business Class and Economy cabins. Customers can also enjoy the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment experience during their journey.  Cathay Pacific has also increased flight frequencies on other key routes in the Chinese Mainland, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai. The Cathay Group will operate more than 330 return flights per week between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland during the peak winter travel season.

Source: Cathay Pacific