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Cathay Pacific is bringing its refitted 777-300ERs with the new “Aria Suite” business class and updated premium economy to Melbourne.
Sydney in April was the first Australian city and second destination outside of Hong Kong to see the new cabin product, with Melbourne now also being served by the refurbished aircraft on daily CX104 and CX105 services as of 3 August.
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“Weʼre thrilled to introduce our much-anticipated Aria Suite ‒ and all-new Premium Economy ‒ on flights to and from Melbourne,” Frosti Lau, regional general manager of Southwest Pacific, for Cathay, said.
“This launch reinforces Cathay Pacificʼs ongoing commitment to delivering a truly exceptional level of comfort and convenience for travellers from Australia.
“Bringing Aria Suite to Melbourne reflects just how important the Australian market is to us.”
The overhauled 777s include 45 flat-bed business-class Aria Suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, as well as 48 premium economy and 268 economy seats for a total of 361, with all three classes having been updated and a new in-flight entertainment system installed.
The news from Cathay comes as it and Qantas are set to face increased competition on the Melbourne-Hong Kong route, with challenger Hong Kong Airlines to operate daily using Airbus A330s and add 93,000 seats between the two cities starting in December.
Hong Kong Airlines in June also commenced a daily service from Sydney, meaning the challenger carrier now flies to 30 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region and more than 100 globally, including a seasonal service to the Gold Coast.
The Commonwealth government last year authorised increasing passenger capacity for Hong Kong to 84 flights per week, up from 70, and with no limits on cargo services.
Cathay currently flies 19 times per week between Melbourne and Hong Kong using its 777s and A350s, while Qantas operates one daily flight using A330s.
The airline last year ramped up its Brisbane and Perth flights to full pre-pandemic capacity, as well as restarting seasonal Cairns services.
Starting 28 October, Cathay increased Perth–Hong Kong services from six to 11 per week and Brisbane–Hong Kong services from six to 10 per week, with Sydney and Melbourne retaining their four and three flights per day respectively.
It will further increase Brisbane and Perth services to double daily starting this October, and also plans to bring back services to Adelaide. The airline will operate a seasonal service starting 11 November, flying three times per week on its 280-seat A350-900 fleet until 27 March next year.
