Cathay Pacific history

In 1947 Cathay Pacific added five more DC-3s and two smaller aircraft known as Catalina 'flying boats,' which allowed the airline to begin service to Macao, a nearby Portuguese colony on the coast of China.

Back in July, 1948, a Cathay Pacific-subsidiary-operated Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina flying from Macau to Hong Kong was the victim of the first hijacking of a commercial plane in the world, followed by a crash that lead to 26 deaths, leaving one survivor.

Under Swire, another important sister company, HAECO, was established in 1950.

Eventually de Kantzow tired of Swire's control and announced his resignation from Cathay Pacific in April 1951.

In 1953 the London-based P & O shipping company paid HK$2.5 million for a 31.2 percent stake in the airline.

Sold in 1955, “Betsy” was discovered, almost 30 years later flying cargo around the Australian outback.

In September 1958, a new 8,350-foot runway was opened at Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport, in time for the arrival of Cathay Pacific's new DC-6 aircraft.

In 1959, Cathay Pacific acquired Hong Kong Airways, and became the dominant airline in Hong Kong.

In this instance, the matter was settled in August 1961 when Qantas, with the help of government subsidies, began flying newer, more expensive Boeing 707s to Hong Kong, forcing Cathay Pacific out of that particular market.

In January 1962, Cathay Pacific announced that it would purchase new Convair 880 jets manufactured by General Dynamics in the United States.

During this time there had been changes in management as well: in 1963 Gething and Steele retired and were succeeded by Don Delaney as engineering director and Dave Smith as flight superintendent.

The first jets were introduced in 1964, namely the Convair 880.

In 1965, Jock Swire retired, leaving Cathay Pacific in the hands of his two sons, John and Adrian.

In 1967, it became an all jet airline with the replacement of its last Lockheed L-188 Electra with a Convair 880.

By 1968, Cathay Pacific had five of the jets in its fleet, having retired or sold its other aircraft.

1970 - Two new Discoveries Our first-ever lounge opens at Kai Tak Airport.

On June 15, 1972, one of Cathay Pacific's Convair jets was involved in what seemed at first to have been a midair collision over Vietnam.

Asian laborers were increasingly in demand throughout the Gulf following the 1973 oil crisis and newly wealthy Arab sheiks were eager to purchase the high-tech electronic products then available in Hong Kong.

Charged with sabotage and murder, in May 1974 the policeman was found not guilty; no further suspects were ever brought to trial.

In July 1976 it began operating a Boeing 707 freighter from Hong Kong to Seoul, Bangkok and Singapore.

First Boeing 747 was acquired in 1979, as the airline started to fly to London.

In 1981, Cathay Pacific carried over three million passengers and 97 million kilos of cargo to 23 destinations.

In 1982, Cathay Pacific Airways introduced Cathay Pacific Cargo, which provided cargo service to ingratiate the trend of Hong Kong, becoming one of the largest re-export trading ports of the world.

Another international destination added in 1983 was Vancouver, which had one of the largest Chinese communities abroad.

In 1984 Bluck, who had become chairman of Cathay Pacific, answered charges that Asian airlines were prospering because of the low wages paid to their workers and lower overheads than faced by Western airline carriers.

On 15 May 1986, the airline went public and was listed in the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

In anticipation of the change in government, the Swire Group announced in January 1987 that it was reducing its share of ownership in Cathay Pacific.

The opening of China's airways raised the prospect of CX flying passengers directly to the mainland again, rights the carrier had lost after it acquired a portion of Dragonair in 1990.

Transporting freight had contributed approximately 20 percent of overall airline revenue in the first six months of 1991.

Peter Sutch led Cathay Pacific as managing director beginning in 1992.

In 1994, the airline launched a program to upgrade its passenger service, including a HK$23 million program to update its image.

1996: Swire reduces its holdings to 44 percent.

Scheduled to open in 1997, the new airport was expected to face increasing competition from low-cost airports in neighboring Macao and Shenzen, China.

On 21 May 1998, Cathay Pacific took the first delivery of the Boeing 777-300 at a ceremony in Everett.

Cathay Pacific is a founding member of the Oneworld Alliance. (February, 1999)

On the 19th of May, 2000, Cathay Pacific operated the first commercial non-stop transpolar flight from Canada with its Flight 829 from Toronto to Hong Kong.

On 9 July 2001, reportedly following a comprehensive review of the employment histories of all its pilots, the company fired 49 of its 1,500 pilots.

In 2007, work began straight away to better align the two carriers’ networks and reduce connecting times in the Hong Kong hub.

In June 2008, Cathay Pacific entered into a plea bargain with the United States Department of Justice in respect of antitrust investigations over air cargo price-fixing agreements.

On 11 November 2009, 18 of the 49ers succeeded in the Hong Kong Court of First Instance concerning their joint claims for breach of contract, breach of the Employment Ordinance, and defamation.

On 24 December 2010, judges Frank Stock, Susan Kwan and Johnson Lam of the Court of Appeal overturned the judgment of the lower court to the extent that the claim for wrongful termination of the contract was dismissed.

The leader of the 49er Plaintiffs, Captain John Warham, launched a book titled The 49ers – The True Story on 25 March 2011.

On 26 September 2012, 11 years after they were sacked, the 49ers were finally judged to have won the 3 prime issues of their legal case: breach of contract, breach of the Employment Ordinance, and defamation.

2014 – Best airline in the world

In November 2015, Cathay Pacific revealed a refreshed livery, featuring its trademark, the “brushwing” logo an all-green tail, but with a simpler paint scheme, and its latest motto – “Life Well Travelled”, also used for its subsidiary, Dragonair.

In January 2016, Cathay Pacific announced it was rebranding Dragonair as Cathay Dragon.

As of 31 December 2017, the airline is still 45% owned by Swire Group through its subsidiary Swire Pacific Limited, as the largest shareholder.

In June 2018, Cathay Pacific received its first Airbus A350 1000 aircraft of an order of 20, becoming the second airline in the world to fly the long-range jet.

In July 2019, Cathay Pacific completed the acquisition of Hong Kong Express Airways, a low-cost carrier that provides scheduled service to 27 destinations in Asia.