Cathay Pacific has announced that it will move to JFK Airport Terminal 6, once the facility opens in early 2026.
Cathay Pacific will be one of the first airlines to relocate into the first phase of the terminal, which will include five gates. In the end, the terminal will be enlarged to 1.2 million square feet with 10 gates in all.
“This represents a huge milestone in Cathay Pacific’s 28 years of connecting New York with our home, Hong Kong,” said Chris van den Hooven, senior vice president of Cathay Pacific’s Americas division. “It will be 20 years since we commenced our regular non-stop service on July 1st” van den Hooven added. Our goal has always been to give our clients a distinctive Cathay Pacific airport experience at JFK. We are thrilled to be able to realize this ambition thanks to our collaboration with JFK Millennium Partners.
Cathay Pacific Airport
Currently, Cathay Pacific runs three nonstop flights each day, two using Airbus A350s and one using a Boeing 777-300ER equipped with first class, between New York JFK and Hong Kong. In the past, they have also provided one-stop service via Vancouver; this is a holdover from their 1996 launch of a New York route that ran for just eight years.
An additional five gates will open as part of the terminal 6 project later on, and the building will have capacity for “up to” five airside lounges in addition to an arrivals lounge.
The airline was severely impacted by the Hong Kong government’s coronavirus reaction which kept the area closed for a lot longer than normal. They lost pilots and are currently trying to rebuild with a pilot shortage. But as it retreats into the “Greater Bay Area” of mainland China under a crackdown on human liberties, Hong Kong itself has become less significant.
Meanwhile, limits on Russian overflight by U.S. carriers and those flights on which they place their code have prevented American Airlines from codesharing with Cathay on New York JFK – Hong Kong.
Additionally, America no longer operates flights to Hong Kong, so Cathay’s domestic flights do not require its code to be shown. While America has invested in China Southern there was conjecture last year about the strengthening of ties between the two countries. This was particularly because significant chances for a fruitful relationship with China Southern have not yet materialized.
It appears equally possible though, that Air China will increase its ownership of Cathay, seize control of it, and force it out of the Oneworld alliance.
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