India a Key Focus Area for Cathay Pacific, Says Anand Yedery

I am excited to be in Hyderabad as Cathay Pacific has just resumed flights between Hong Kong and Hyderabad after a 5-year hiatus. We operated our first flight back on March 31, and today we are celebrating this milestone with our business partners at a launch event this evening. I am delighted about having our flights back in Hyderabad.

The response has been amazing. Our first flight from Hyderabad to Hong Kong had a 75% load factor, and our second flight was fully booked, with all 39 business class seats and 223 economy class seats occupied. I am thrilled to see such a strong demand after a 5-year gap.

We have seen a surge in demand for international travel from India, particularly from Hyderabad. Post-pandemic, there’s been a spike in premium travel as travellers seek experiential travel and are willing to pay more for comfort. Our premium economy cabin has seen huge demand due to its quieter atmosphere, elevated meal experience, and larger in-flight entertainment screens. Similarly, our business class cabin has also seen encouraging demand. Today, travel is not just about moving from point A to point B, but about having a premium experience while travelling.

We were one of the pioneers in introducing the premium economy, launching it in 2012. Initially, we saw a huge uptake on long-haul routes, particularly among passengers travelling to North America, Southwest Pacific, and Australia. However, with the growing demand for premium experiences, we are now seeing interest in premium economy even on medium-haul routes, such as flights to Hong Kong and Japan.

The premium economy cabin offers a distinctly quieter experience, accommodating fewer passengers—typically between 30 to 40 seats. This, combined with wider seat pitch, more legroom, and greater recline, creates a significantly more comfortable environment. Our new premium economy seats also feature innovative, comfortable headrests, further enhancing the overall experience.

In addition to the physical comforts, we have also focused on elevating the dining experience in premium economy. We have partnered with Michelin-star restaurants to bring a taste of Hong Kong’s renowned culinary scene on board. This collaboration allows us to offer premium economy passengers an exceptional meal experience that showcases the unique flavours of Hong Kong.

As Asia’s global carrier, we aim to bring the flavours of Hong Kong on board. As I mentioned, we have partnered with Michelin-star restaurants to offer authentic Hong Kong cuisine, such as egg tarts and traditional Chinese dumplings. At the same time, we cater to global palates by offering Italian options through Louise, authentic mainland Chinese cuisine through Duddell’s, and vegan options through VEDA. This range of cuisine is why we are confident our customers will return to experience it.

Hyderabad is a diverse market, and we are not limiting ourselves to just one or two segments. We are targeting corporate travelers from IT and pharma companies, business travellers from MSMEs and SMEs, and leisure travellers who want to visit Hong Kong. We are also looking at the MICE segment, VFR (Visiting friends and relatives) is also a big segment, with many people from Telangana having family and friends in North America and Australia. In fact, we have learnt that Hyderabadis travel abroad at least once a year. This is very encouraging for us as an airline, and we are confident that these segments will drive demand for our flights. These segments will benefit from our non-stop direct flights, and we are confident they will choose to travel with us.

Cathay Pacific has been in India for over 7 decades, starting with our first flight to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1953. We resumed operations in 1982 in Mumbai and have since expanded. Currently, we operate 39 flights a week, which will increase to 43 from September, 2025. Our India network includes Mumbai (10 flights/week), Delhi (double daily), Bangalore (daily), Chennai (5 flights/week, increasing to daily in September), and Hyderabad (3 flights/week, increasing to 5 in September). We are confident about growth opportunities in the India market and look forward to continuing to serve and contribute to the society.

Currently, Delhi contributes the most to our passenger load, thanks to our double daily flights from the city. Due to our sheer capacity, Delhi stands out as the highest in terms of passenger numbers, followed by Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and now Hyderabad.

As a responsible organization, Cathay Pacific is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving net zero carbon by 2050. To achieve this goal, we are working on various initiatives, including sustainable aviation fuel, which we are already using on some flights from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Los Angeles. We have also partnered with suppliers to reduce waste, such as introducing bottles without plastic tags on board. We also offer carbon offsets to our corporate partners, which allows them to contribute to our sustainable goals.

With Cathay Pacific expanding its India operations, we are also tapping into the local talent pool. We have recently recruited over 700 Indian-origin cabin crew, who will be based in Hong Kong and serve our global network. This initiative allows us to better serve our Indian customers, not just on India routes but also on flights with high Indian diaspora traffic. We have also recruited Indian cockpit crew, demonstrating our commitment to leveraging Indian talent across our global operations.

India is in a good space, with a growing economy, largest democracy, and massive population, making it favorable for travel. The Indian middle class wants to travel more, driving growth in both domestic and international travel. This growth story is very attractive to Cathay Pacific, and we are keen to be a part of it, contributing to the Indian economy and increasing our brand presence in India.