Air carrier Cathay Pacific plans direct flights from Hong Kong to Washington, DC for the first time in late 2018.

The airline will commence a four-times-weekly service to the city in September, which will complement its existing routes to the East Coast, including Boston and New York’s two main international airports, John F Kennedy and Newark Liberty.

The service to Dulles International Airport, which will become the longest on the Cathay Pacific network in terms of distance at 7,085 nautical miles, will be operated by the all-new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

According to the company, the new flight will offer Vietnamese customers more choice on their routes to Washington WC. Recently, the airlines each week has 19 flights from HCM City to Hong Kong while 12 others from Ha Noi and 9 flights from Da Nang.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg said the new service has been introduced to cater to the growing demand for travel to the capital region of the US and to provide US-based passengers with more convenient access to key destinations in Asia and beyond through the airline’s home in Hong Kong.

“Our customers have told us they want greater options and increased flexibility – and we’ve listened,” said Hogg. “Much like Hong Kong, Washington DC is a vibrant and dynamic destination and we are thrilled to soon be providing the only direct flights between these two great cities.

“Establishing new direct air links to destinations that aren’t already served from Hong Kong enhances our city’s status as Asia’s largest international hub and allows us to secure new and important sources of revenue,” he added.

2018 is set to be one of Cathay Pacific’s most significant years in terms of network expansion and capacity growth. In addition to Washington DC, the airline is launching year-round services to Brussels and Dublin in March and June, respectively.

A seasonal service to Copenhagen commences in May, while Cathay Dragon, the regional carrier of the Cathay Pacific Group, will start a four-times-weekly operation to Nanning in mainland China in January.

The frequency of flights on a number of Cathay Pacific’s most popular existing routes, including Barcelona and Tel Aviv, are also being increased in 2018. — VNS