Almaty will get a direct connection to Hong Kong. Starting January 9, 2027, Cathay Pacific will operate three weekly flights between the two cities, making Kazakhstan the airline’s first market in Central Asia, DKNews.kz reports.
Ticket sales are already open. The flights will be operated with wide-body Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The new route will become the only direct air service between Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.
Three flights a week will connect Almaty and Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific will operate three weekly flights on the Almaty–Hong Kong route.
Flights will depart Almaty on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9:50 p.m. and arrive in Hong Kong at 7:00 a.m. the following day.
Return flights will operate on the same days, departing Hong Kong at 4:25 p.m. and arriving in Almaty at 8:30 p.m. The schedule remains subject to regulatory approval.
For passengers, the value of the new route extends beyond Hong Kong itself. Through Cathay Pacific’s hub, travelers will be able to continue to destinations in Mainland China, Northeast and Southeast Asia, Oceania and other regions.
Almaty will be Cathay Pacific’s first destination in Central Asia
Rakesh Raicar, Cathay Pacific’s Regional General Manager for South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, described the launch as part of the airline’s international network expansion.
“As Hong Kong’s home carrier, Cathay Pacific is committed to strengthening connectivity between Hong Kong, Mainland China and the rest of the world. Almaty will become our first destination in Kazakhstan and Central Asia,” Rakesh Raicar said.
For Kazakhstan, the route creates opportunities in both directions. Kazakh travelers will gain direct access to one of Asia’s major aviation hubs, while Cathay Pacific’s global network can bring international tourists and business travelers into Almaty.
Raicar also highlighted the strategic importance of Central Asia.
“Central Asia is a strategically important region under the Belt and Road Initiative, with significant potential for the development of business ties and tourism,” he said.
The new route will also add cargo capacity for Kazakhstan
The route has another dimension that may be less visible to ordinary passengers: cargo transportation.
The cargo holds of the Airbus A330-300 passenger aircraft will also be used to carry goods. Cathay Pacific plans to connect the new route with the global Cathay Cargo network.
This will give Kazakh businesses an additional channel for shipping goods between Kazakhstan, Hong Kong and other markets served by the airline.
For international trade, the regular schedule also matters: cargo capacity will become available three times a week alongside passenger flights, without the need to launch a separate freighter service.
Passengers from Almaty can get a 15,000 tenge discount
To mark the launch of the new route, Cathay Pacific has introduced a special offer for customers in Kazakhstan.
Passengers booking flights from Almaty to Hong Kong and onward across the airline’s network can receive a discount of 15,000 tenge.
The promotion is valid for bookings made through September 30, 2026. Travel must take place between January and September 2027.
Hong Kong offers connections to hundreds of flights across Asia
The wider significance of the new route lies in Cathay Pacific’s connecting network.
Cathay Pacific and its low-cost carrier HK Express jointly operate around 600 weekly round-trip flights to 33 destinations in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.
In addition, Cathay Pacific and HK Express operate around 330 weekly flights between Hong Kong and 24 destinations in Mainland China.
For Almaty, this means that from January 9, 2027, the city will gain not only a direct link with Hong Kong, but also access to a broad Asian route network with a single connection.
We previously reported on Cathay Pacific’s plans to enter the Kazakhstan market and launch a new route between Almaty and Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2027. The exact launch date, schedule and flight frequency have now been announced.
