Cathay Pacific Airways to focus on online and corporate sector

Mumbai: Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways, which operates 35 flights a week from India is charting out its plan of action for next year. Currently, the airline is planning to focus on the online sector by enhancing the B2B interface of its portal for both travel agents and corporates. Talking about the future plans of the airline for the Indian market, Tom Wright, General Manager – Middle East, India & Africa, Cathay Pacific Airways said, “Due to various hurdles faced by the global aviation sector this year, the coming year is obscure. The only thing we can focus upon is technology. We are looking at strengthening our online gateway to receive higher sales margins through direct sales. We are also going to enhance the online space for our corporate clients and travel agents.”
Apart from focusing on the online gateway there are no plans for expanding the route network or increasing the frequencies between India and Hong Kong. Elaborating further Wright stated, “We increased our frequencies from eight flights a week to 35 flights a week this year. So, the bilateral rights signed between India and Hong Kong is saturated. We cannot expand our route network in India any more.” Currently the airline operates a total of 28 flights a week, while the remaining flights are operated by Dragonair (affiliate airline of Cathay Group) from Bangalore to Hong Kong.
The airline is also planning to work closely with Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to promote the nation in India for tourism and business.
24/12/08 Anita Jain/TravelBizMonitor

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Categories: Foreign Dec 2008