Cathay Pacific is without a doubt one of the airlines that has come out worse from the covid pandemic. The Hong Kong based airline has had to cope with some of the most stringent covid restrictions in the world. Hong Kong was also one of the last locations in the Asia-Pacific area to open up to the world, which heavily hindered Cathay Pacific’s recovery efforts. Now the airline is trying to rebuild its network in order to regain the market shares it lost. Today’s news regarding Cathay Pacific is about them resuming flights to Christchurch, New Zealand, with flight CX123. Let’s take a closer look at the news and CX123 flight details.
Cathay Pacific Finally Returns to Christchurch
Cathay Pacific’s return to Christchurch will be a much appreciated one. Prior to the pandemic the airline was a primary option for passengers travelling from Australia and New Zealand towards Europe. This role was undermined by the covid imposed stop to flights.
Now for the first time since early 2020 Hong Kong’s main airline will be flying from and to Christchurch. Initially the flight will only be a seasonal connections, however if feedback is positive the airline might opt to extend the seasonality.
The Schedule for Cathay Pacific flight CX123 Hong Kong to Christchurch
As mentioned above the flight will, initially at least, be a seasonal connection. It is clearly designed to cater to the needs of travellers making their way to Europe from New Zealand and viceversa for the Christmas festivities. The flight will commence operations on December 16th 2023 and will end on February 29th 2024.
Also it won’t be a daily connection. Hong Kong to Christchurch flight CX123 will have a 3-times-per-week frequency, with flights available every:
- Wednesday
- Friday
- Sunday
It must be noted that the outbound and return flights don’t have consecutive numbers, as often is the case. The Hong Kong (HKG) to Christchurch (CHC) flight will be number CX123 while the return flight will be CX126.
As for the schedule of the flight, this is how it’ll work:
- Flight CX123 will depart Hong Kong (HKG) at 21:05 arriving into Christchurch (CHC) at 13:20 the next day.
- Return flight CX126 will depart Christchurch (CHC) at 14:50 arriving back into Hong Kong (HKG) at 21:20
The Plane Chosen For the CX123 Hong Kong Christchurch Flight
Initially Cathay Pacific flight CX123 will be served using one of the airline’s Airbus A350-900s. However as proof of the carrier’s flexibility and hope that the service will do well the airline’s spokesperson stated that in case of positive feedback they will switch to the larger A350-1000. The switch would add 51 extra seats per flight.
Taking one step back let’s take a look at the configuration of the A350-900 which will initially serve the route. Cathay Pacific’s A350-900s are setup in a 3 class configuration featuring:
- 38 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 layout.
- 28 Premium Economy Class seats in a 2-4-2 layout.
- 214 Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 layout.
