Farrell purchased the airline's first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, nicknamed Betsy, at Bush Field, New York City in 1945. Both de Kantzow and Farrell were ex-air force pilots who had flown the Hump, a route over the Himalayan mountains. Buchanan and Russell already worked for de Kantzow and Farrell at Roy Farrell Import-Export Company, the predecessor of Cathay Pacific, which was initially headquartered in Shanghai. Sydney "Syd" de Kantzow, Roy Farrell, Neil Buchanan, Donald Brittan Evans and Robert "Bob" Stanley Russell were the initial shareholders. Niki, a DC-3 painted to imitate the appearance of the carrier's second aircraft, outside Cathay CityĬathay Pacific Airways was founded on 24 September 1946 in Hong Kong. 3 Corporate affairs, identity and senior leadership.2.6 Recapitalization and government bailout.1.4.2 Acquisition and downsizing of Dragonair.1.4 2000–2010: Industrial troubles and acquisitions.1.3.1 Transfer to Chek Lap Kok and transpolar flights.1.3 1990–2000: Rebranding, renewal, and Oneworld.It is one of the founding members of the Oneworld alliance. In 2010, Cathay Pacific became the world's largest international cargo airline, along with main hub Hong Kong International Airport as the world's busiest airport measured by cargo traffic. The airline celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016 and as of March 2021, its major shareholders are Swire Pacific, with a 42.3% stake and Air China, with a 28.2% stake.Ĭathay Pacific is the world's fifth largest airline measured by sales, and fourteenth largest measured by market capitalisation. The airline was founded on 24 September 1946 by Australian Sydney H. In 2010, Cathay Pacific and Cathay Pacific Cargo, together with Dragonair (then Cathay Dragon), carried nearly 27 million passengers and over 1.8 million tons of cargo and mail.
Defunct wholly owned subsidiary airline Cathay Dragon, which stopped operations, previously flew to 44 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region from its Hong Kong base. Cathay Pacific Cargo operates two models of the Boeing 747. Cathay Pacific operates a fleet consisting of Airbus A320, Airbus A321, Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, and Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have scheduled passenger and cargo services to more than 190 destinations in more than 60 countries worldwide including codeshares and joint ventures. (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific ( Chinese: 國泰航空 Jyutping: gwok3 taai3 hong4 hung1), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. subsidiaries) : 3Ĭathay Pacific Airways Ltd.