Cathay Pacific has announced that it will resume operating the so-called “Polar route” through Russian airspace from November 1, 2022.
The Hong Kong-based airline said it will restart its New York to Hong Kong service through the “far eastern part of Russia”, Bloomberg noted in a recent report.
The popular route has been suspended since February due to flight bans imposed in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the report continued.
The airline cited strong headwinds and payload issues affecting its flights from the East Coast of North America to Hong Kong as part of its decision to overfly the far eastern part of Russia. Cathay also highlighted in its statement to Bloomberg that there were no sanctions prevent the airline from overflying Russia.
In a statement provide to Bloomberg, Cathay said: “there are other major airlines overflying Russian airspace and there are no sanctions which prevent Cathay Pacific overflying Russia.”
“The Polar Route provides a safe, direct and the fastest flight experience to our customers traveling from the East Coast of North America to Hong Kong,” the airline added.
The airline is among the first few major airliner to resume services through Russian airspace.
Cathay Pacific detailed on its website that it will operate the service between Hong Kong and New York with its Airbus A350-900/1000 fleet.
In a statement published by the airline on October 17, 2022, the airline stated that a significant part of its inbound traffic to Hong Kong had improved, largely driven by demand from the US and Canada.
The airline carried 704,054 passengers from the North America market in September 2022.
