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by Muguette M.
Goufrani, Associate Editor By 1948,
CPA was operating scheduled services to five
destinations around Asia. The same year,
Butterfield & Swire, Cathay Pacific
continued to grow rapidly. During the 1970, the
airline began serving its first destinations
beyond Asia with flights to the Middle East, as
well as starting its first cargo-only
flights. With
delivery of its first Boeing 747-200 in 1980,
Cathay Pacific launched its inaugural Hong Kong
London service, and then became the world's
first airline to take delivery of the
Rolls-Royce-poweded Boeing 747-400, which
revolutionized long haul travel, bringing
destinations such as Vancouver, London and Los
Angels within nonstop range. 45 percent of the
Airline is owned by Swire Pacific, part of Hong
Kong based conglomerate Swire Group, while China
International Trust & Investment Corporation
(CITIC) holds a further 25.4 percent and John
Swire & Sons provides a wide range of
management services to the airline. In 1996,
the airline commemorated its 50th anniversary
and in 1999, the airline took delivery of three
Boeing 777-300s, one of the most advanced
passenger aircraft in the market today. Cathay
Pacific's continued success is closely tied to
that of Hong Kong, and with this in mind the
airline has invested a total of HK$8 BILLION
(us$1 billion in its new headquarters at Cathay
Pacific City and in the infrastructure of the
Hong Kong international Airport at Chek Lap Kok
which opened on 6 July 1998: Cathay Pacific's
new home in the heart of Asia. More information
is also available on the website:
www.cathaypacific.com We will
describe our most recent flight in more detail
later, but first here is some supporting
information we gathered via press release that
was sent to our office. It speaks of a very key
topic - management: Cathay
Pacific Airways has been ranked the best managed
major airline in Asia and the second best
managed major airline in the world by leading
airline industry magazine Aviation Week &
Space Technology. Cathay Pacific, which offers
twice daily Boeing 747-400 service from
Vancouver to Hong Kong, daily non-stops to New
York and daily direct A340-300 service from
Toronto to Honk Kong, offers service to 47
destinations from its "Super Hub" in Honk
Kong. Cathay
Pacific was also lauded for the "exceptionally
strong performance" of its management. The
rankings are based on a combination of asset
utilization, productivity and financial health.
Aviation Week said the highly-ranked companies
should serve as a guide for aerospace companies
and airlines worldwide. |
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Cathay
Pacific Airways was founded in Hong Kong in
1946 by two adventurers American Roy Farrell and
Australian Sydney de Kantzow. The Cathay Pacific
story is one of the most romantic in aviation
history. It began with the entrepreneurial
vision of two former transport pilots - American
Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow from Australia
- who had flown transport planes over the "HUMP"
from Calcutta to Kunming during World War 11.
After the war, they spotted an opportunity to
start passenger and cargo flights out of
Shanghai and, in May 1946, moved their
enterprise to the British colony of Hong Kong,
naming it Cathay Pacific Airways - Cathay, the
ancient name for China; and Pacific, because the
far-sighted Farrell speculated that one day the
embryonic airline might fly across the Pacific
ocean.
