Cathay begins second 777-300ER service to Sydney

Cathay Pacific has commenced a second Boeing 777-300ER rotation to Sydney.

Flight CX101 from Hong Kong, operated by B-KQR, arrived at Sydney a little after 1030 local time on Friday.

The reciprocal CX100 took off from the NSW capital just past 1600.

Upgauging a second of four daily Cathay flights between Hong Kong and Sydney from the Airbus A330-300 to the 777-300ER represents an eight per cent increase in capacity.

“Having two 777-300ER flights will help cater to the increasing demand from our passengers wanting the best morning or night connections to our large network, which includes our newest destinations Manchester, Zurich, Boston, Dusseldorf and soon Madrid,” Cathay Pacific general manager for Southwest Pacific Nelson Chin said in a statement.

“It also serves those who simply wish to make the most of a whole day’s work or play in Hong Kong.”

Cathay’s three-class Boeing 777-300ERs have 340 seats (40 business, 32 premium economy, 268 economy), compared with either 242 seats (39 business, 28 premium economy, 175 economy) or 251 seats (39 business, 21 premium economy, 191 economy) on the A330-300s used to serve Australia.

The oneworld alliance member switched one of its four Sydney services to the 777-300ER in December 2014.

The airline flies 74 times a week to Australia and has utilised the full amount of available frequencies to the country’s four major gateways – Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney – for Hong Kong-designated carriers.

Therefore, any increase in capacity will have to come through larger aircraft and not additional flights.

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER B-KQR at Sydney Airport. (Cathay Pacific)