Cathay Pacific Airways has launched a weekly passenger service between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh from Abu Dhabi International Airport, operated by Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
The new service complements the airline’s existing three times weekly passenger service between Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong.
Commenting on the new route, Eng. Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operations officer of ADAC, said: “The Abu Dhabi-Saudi market grew by 26 per cent during 2012, both in terms of O&D (Origin and Destination) and transfer traffic.
Therefore, ADAC is glad with the decision taken by Cathay Pacific to extend their world class services to accommodate the growing demand for more routes out of Abu Dhabi. With Cathay Pacific Airways selecting Abu Dhabi as a connection between a key Middle East market and its global network, it illustrates the Capital’s firm position as an international aviation hub.”
With the recent introduction of Cathay Pacific Airways acclaimed New Business Class and the new Premium Economy on all their routes in UAE since the beginning of the year, the latest destination launch will offer passengers travelling between the two cities greater choice and more comfort.
Brian Yuen, Cathay Pacific’s country manager UAE & Oman, said: “The new service reinforces our commitment in the Middle East market. Our world class products and services will offer passengers from UAE a new level of travelling experience between the two counties.”
Cathay Pacific’s New Business Class consists of clean, sculpted lines defining private, lie-flat seats with direct aisle access and allows passengers to control their degree of privacy and openness.
It was voted “World’s Best Business Class” in the 2012 Skytrax World Airline Awards by more than 18 million airline passengers from around the world. In the adjacent cabin, the new Premium Economy seat itself is wider and has a bigger recline in a more spacious cabin than the traditional Economy Class with between 26 and 34 seats per aircraft.
The carrier has also upgraded its flagship website – www.cathaypacific.com – giving a fresh look and feel with enhanced navigation and an improved site structure. The upgrade will provide a significantly improved platform that will enable Cathay Pacific to keep pace with changing travel trends and consumer preferences.
Alex McGowan, general manager sales and distribution, said: “At Cathay Pacific, we believe that every interaction with our passengers is an opportunity to deliver outstanding service. Upgrading the technology which underpins our website is an important first step towards improving our online services. We now have a state-of-the-art platform on which we will design and build a brand-new digital experience.”
Online services offered through the website and mobile site include online booking, Online Check-In, the Manage My Booking service and Mobile Boarding Pass retrieval.