Over the past three-quarters of a century, Cathay Pacific has grown from a small regional airline to one that has thrust its way out across the globe from its energetic home city, Hong Kong. Throughout it all, Cathay Pacific’s enduring purpose has been to connect customers to the people, places and experiences they love the most. To mark this special occasion, Cathay Pacific is unveiling a variety of exciting opportunities for customers to join it in marking 75 years of bringing people together, from paying homage to history, celebrating the power of connection or looking forward to a re-energized future.

Chief Executive Officer Augustus Tang said: “Cathay Pacific has seen exhilarating successes over the past incredible 75 years. We’ve connected people to many new destinations, welcomed the arrival of state-of-the-art aircraft and introduced exciting customer experience enhancements, to name a few.  We have also experienced unprecedented challenges, such as the global pandemic, which we are all still overcoming. What these over seven decades have shown is that we are a resilient brand.

“What has never changed is our unyielding commitment to our loyal customers, our dedicated people and our wonderful home city, Hong Kong. We wouldn’t be the company we are today without the enduring support they have shown us, and we are incredibly grateful to each and every one of them. We hope they will join us in marking our 75th anniversary, and we look forward to many more journeys together.”

Own a piece of history

Cathay Pacific has created a special series of limited-edition merchandise commemorating more than seven decades of connection.

Customers have the opportunity to get one of 1,000 special collector’s box sets each featuring seven aircraft models, from the airline’s very first Douglas DC-3 aircraft, “Betsy”, to the newest member of its fleet, the Airbus A321neo.

Meanwhile, 435 limited-edition pen and cardholder sets have been crafted out of aluminium reclaimed from B-HUJ, the airline’s final Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft, and engraved with a unique serial number.

Customers can also give their luggage a touch of history with limited-edition aviation-themed luggage tags. Each has been formed from the body of Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777-200 B-HND aircraft – affectionately called the “Haneda Jet” – which joined the fleet on 13 June 1996 and carried more than six million passengers over her lifetime.

Cathay Pacific has also partnered with Hong Kong lifestyle brand G.O.D. to upcycle uniforms from its crew into a selection of accessories and homewares, from stylish patchwork cushion covers to cross-body bags, pouches and teddy bears.

All 75th anniversary memorabilia is available exclusively on the new Cathay shopping platform: please click here.

A taste of celebration

Cathay Pacific is also launching its first-ever cocktail collection, created in collaboration with award-winning craft-bottled cocktail brand LAIBA and available exclusively in Hong Kong. The four creations – Hong Kong Lemon Tease, Shanghai Spicy Martini, London Ginger Snap and Osaka Kanpai Sour, are inspired by some of our signature routes.

Meanwhile, customers wishing to discover the quintessential Cathay Pacific First Class experience can do so at Salisterra at The Upper House in Hong Kong, which is offering an exclusive celebration menu between 20 September and 17 October 2021. The menu features Cathay Pacific’s signature Imperial caviar paired with Krug Grande Cuvée, Champagne, France, NV and Château Lynch Bages, Bordeaux, France, 2008 from its legendary wine cellar – all served with Cathay Pacific’s signature tableware.

Reservations must be made through the new Cathay shopping platform: please click here.

Bringing the future to the present

While Cathay Pacific celebrates the past, it continues to bring innovation to every aspect of its offering. Earlier this year, Hong Kong’s home airline launched “Cathay”, a premium travel lifestyle brand that is designed to offer more for our customers, whether that’s in dining, shopping, events, wellness, flights or hotel getaways. The first of these offers, a new Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Card, has already been launched, followed by an upgraded Cathay app combining one-stop dining and digital payment.

Cathay Pacific is also innovating in the air with the launch of its new Airbus A321neo aircraft, which offers customers the world’s most enjoyable short-haul experience. The A321neo offers new levels of comfort, privacy and storage space, not to mention world-first inflight entertainment upgrades.

These fuel-efficient aircraft also help Cathay Pacific’s continued pursuit of greener aviation as it aims to reach its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This commitment makes Cathay Pacific one of the first airlines in Asia to establish a timeline for making carbon neutrality a reality.

Own a piece of history

Explore our range of limited-edition merchandise, created especially for this anniversary. Aluminium reclaimed from B-HUJ, our record-breaking, final Boeing 747-400 plane, has been moulded into sleek pen and cardholder sets. Aviation tags have been crafted from B-HND, our loyal Boeing 777-200. And pre-loved cabin and cockpit crew uniforms have been revamped by Hong Kong lifestyle brand G.O.D. into stylish accessories, teddy bears and more.

We’ve also created a selection of special 75th anniversary collector’s aircraft models, spanning each era of Cathay Pacific. And for a modern twist on history, we’ve collaborated with LAIBA to design cocktails exclusively available in Hong Kong, inspired by four of the routes that helped put Cathay Pacific on the map.

Cathay Pacific Airways history:

In 1946, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow – two ex-Air Force pilots known for flying ‘The Hump’ over the Himalayas – had the idea to fly much-needed goods from Australia into post-war China. From there came Cathay Pacific, an airline fuelled by its founders’ passion for flying and love of the region.

In fact, our very name originates from Roy Farrell’s sense of ambition – that the new airline would one day cross the vast Pacific Ocean from China. This progressive thinking and optimism for the future was proven right less than thirty years later with our first transpacific flight.

Cathay Pacific Airways slide show: