Visitors in Fukouka. Cathay Pacific will increase the number of flights between Hong Kong and Fukuoka beginning in December this year. — VNS Photo

Cathay Pacific will increase the number of flights to Barcelona, Spain on its peak seasonal routes to a year-round service.

The service will start on April 15 next year, with three weekly services from Hong Kong. Beginning on July 1, it will offer flights four times weekly, according to the carrier.

The new flights, which will be on Airbus A350-900 aircraft, will complement Cathay Pacific’s existing four-times weekly service to Madrid (which will increase to five times a week from October 29).

With the new flight schedules, the airline will provide more non-stop flights to Spain from Asia than any other carrier.

Ronald Lam, Cathay Pacific’s director of commercial and cargo, explained that the popularity of the seasonal route was pivotal in the decision to make Barcelona a year-round destination.

“Demand on the route has exceeded expectations and customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Growing our reach to destinations not otherwise served from Hong Kong enables us to capture new sources of revenue and solidifies the city’s status as Asia’s largest international hub,” he said.

The company also announced additional frequencies between the two cities of Tel Aviv and Hong Kong from next summer. Launched in March 2017 as a four-times-weekly operation, the Airbus A350-900 route will start six times a week on March 25, increasing to daily service in October and November.

Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific’s regional carrier Cathay Dragon will be increasing the frequency of its services between Hong Kong and Fukuoka, Japan from December 18 this year.

The airline will initially operate an additional weekly flight to Japan’s fifth largest city, bringing the total number of flights per week to eight, increasing to 11 flights per week between January 14 and March 24 next year. — VNS