Cathay Pacific returns to fly to Fiumicino: "From Asia strong interest in traveling to Rome"

Sky-high excitement and zero desire to wait for X-day. In the TFC household, the countdown to the Cathay Pacific flight restoration to Rome, after a four-year hiatus. As announced by the company itself, the service will be operational again at Fiumicino airport starting from June 5, with a tri-weekly rotation on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

TFC, like many other frequent flyer, is not looking forward to it and went to interview Paul Johannes, Vice President Customer Travel and Lifestyle Europe at Cathay Pacific, To be told a few more things.

"We are very happy and excited to fly over Rome again, it is an important city for us. And we will do so with our Three-class Airbus A350-900: 38 places in Business Class, 28 places in Premium Economy and 214 places in Economy, confident that we offer a nice service to our customers."

Cathay Pacific - Chinese flag carrier with hub main Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) - is an institution in the aviation world. Its history begins in 1946 and within a few years begins to grow, reaching more and more international destinations. Then it lands in Europe and In 1986 in Italy, on Rome.

- Almost 40 years ago Cathay Pacific landed in Rome, gradually entering the hearts of many travelers. Today's is certainly a long-awaited return.

"Yes, it is a big moment for us as well. When we started traveling again after the pandemic, Rome was one of the first cities from which, for us, it was most logical to start again."

- It has been a couple of months since it was announced. your return to Rome. Do you have any numbers yet?

"Yes, the data shows a great desire to travel both to and from Italy. But especially there is great interest in reaching Rome by many travelers from North or Southeast Asia, particularly China or Hong Kong."

- Do you think the Jubilee contributes in any way to this interest?

"Yes, I think it's definitely a strong point of attraction, both for religious and tourist reasons. But in general, the interest in flying from Asia to Italy and Rome is strong, no matter what."

- Let's forget the Covid period and think about today. How does the situation look to you?

"Very positively. Beyond Rome, Milan is helping to increase our activities, with services available every day. From this point of view we are very strong and able to connect more and more Italy with Asia, and vice versa."

Cathay Pacific arrives at Milan Malpensa in 2010 and, after two and a half years of stop due to the long lockdown Chinese, returned to fly there in October 2022, gradually increasing frequencies until opening its fourth weekly connection in April 2023.

- Most Italians fly from Milan. Is this also the case for many of your customers?

"Yes, because both Milan and Rome are good stopovers for people who then want to fly to the rest of Europe. For example, many summer programs of Asian clients also plan to go to France or Germany."

- What about the Italians, however, where do they prefer to go?

"Italians who travel for business often go to Hong Kong and China because there are many small and medium-sized enterprises. We work very well with Italy from this point of view, thanks in part to the cooperation with Confindustria. Among the Greater Bay Area, which also includes. Hong Kong e Macau, and Italy there is a nice connection. Our customers can fly from Italy to Shenzhen through Hong Kong airport. They check in at Milan and then pick up their luggage directly in Shenzhen, where they will go through immigration controls and arrive there by high-speed boat. On site, of course, there is also our lounge classy".

The last lounge of Cathay Pacific is in fact located at the port Shekou Cruise Home Port of Shenzhen, where the High-speed codeshare ferries carry passengers directly to Hong Kong International Airport's SkyPier in just 30 minutes, allowing passengers to make the check-in of luggage on flights to destinations around the world. With 11 daily round trips, it is one of the busiest ports connecting the Greater Bay Area and HKIA.

"This is a very important connection for all passengers, especially Italians who need to go to Denpasar, Bangkok, Australia or New Zealand. It is a perfect connection with Rome and Milan."

- Two years after the pandemic, how do you feel about the behavior of Italian travelers?

"We see that air traffic is back in good shape. Not only in Italy, but in general all over the world. Especially in the last year. Some people are flying a little less frequently but longer and better. So they might get more points, compared to those who do more travel. But in particular we have noticed that from the pandemic onwards many people aim for leisure travel. They love to combine a business trip with a personal one, simply adding a few extra days to spend on leisure. Those who go to Singapore on business will extend their trip to Bali before returning home. Then to return from Bali with a stopover in Hong Kong without returning to Singapore. So a lot of people to this day focus a lot on the quality and pleasure of travel."

- There are many offerings with AsiaMiles. How does AsiaMiles welcome and handle customers outside Hong Kong, for example in London?

"We are creating a travel product 'for life,' always aiming to improve, to give our customers a quality alternative to what is already on the market. For example, we have partnered with Lloyd Webber Theatres, under which Cathay members have exclusive access to the Cathay Suite of London Palladium so you can get away from the hustle and bustle before the show and enjoy the wait in relaxation. we try to think of everything and pay attention to details."

The British market in particular is of great importance to Cathay Pacific, In fact, London is the first long-haul route on which the Aria Suite debuted, now available on daily flights from London to Hong Kong.

The Aria Suite offers a cabin flight experience of comfort and style: more spacious cabin, intuitive seat designs, and refined finishes that reflect Cathay Pacific's focus on quality.

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