Cathay Pacific, Qantas Announce Codeshare Deal

Cathay Pacific and Qantas will start code-sharing on flights between Asia and Australia starting next month.

Qantas will add its code to Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon services from Hong Kong to 10 cities in Asia, including five in India. The other cities are Colombo, Sri Lanka; Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang in Vietnam; and Yangon in Myanmar.

Also included in the agreement are Cathay Pacific’s services between Hong Kong, Perth and Cairns.

Cathay will add its code to 13 routes on the Qantas Australia domestic network, including the busy Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne triangle.

Qantas International’s Alison Webster said the new codeshare agreement is part of the airline’s strategy of operating to key global hubs, providing access to an expanded network on partner airlines.

Webster said the partnership “also forms part of our growth strategy for the broader Asia region, with strong demand for travel between Australia and Asia.”

Cathay’s Paul Loo welcomed the agreement, saying a closer relationship between the two airlines was a win-win for the carriers’ customers.

“Australia has been a key destination for Cathay Pacific ever since we launched our first commercial operations to the country nearly half a century ago, and we look forward to welcoming guests from Qantas onto our flights soon, he said.”

Tickets for the codeshare flights, some of which are subject to regulatory approval, will be available for sale from October 22, for travel from October 28.