Originally Posted by
Sotonsean
JW95
As much as I admire your enthusiasm and we seem to agree on many topics but I have to admit that I am not as pessimistic as you are regarding the return of Virgin Atlantic to London Gatwick
I honestly can't see it happening.
I'm also not as pessimistic as you regarding the subsequent return of Cathay Pacific to London Gatwick.
Hong Kong as a destination both for business and leisure has diminished a lot over the last few years and not all of it due to the pandemic.
Cathay Pacific obviously wanted to return to pre-pandemic levels at London Heathrow with five daily flights. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the airline will return anytime soon to London Gatwick. I'm sure that Cathay Pacific could or would obtain additional slots at London Heathrow if they really wanted to add an additional daily flight.
Cathay Pacific resumed flying between Hong Kong and London Gatwick on 02 September 2016 after a 25-year absence. It was, as you say, a slim long haul route that was operating with some success.
But a lot has changed between London and Hong Kong in recent years, and I'm certain that the current five daily flights offered by Cathay Pacific from London Heathrow are sufficient enough for the airline.
With British Airways reducing capacity between London Heathrow and Hong Kong, this gives you an idea of how the demand for the route has declined. Especially compared to several years ago, and that's disregarding the pandemic.
I know that the Cathay Pacific A350 looked lovely at the South Terminal, and I'm sure that you have the memories, but they remain as such. Memories are always there plus images of course.
Regarding memories, I still vividly remember the day that I was on the observation deck at London Gatwick on Friday 18th of July 1980. On that day Boeing 747-200 VR-HIA operating CX201 the inaugural flight from Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport via Bahrain landed at London Gatwick.
On a side note it's a shame to see the recent decline in traffic between London and Hong Kong.
Hong Kong as the destination is without doubt in my top three favourite worldwide cities.
Sotonsean, we absolutely do, and I always enjoy and appreciate seeing your posts and insights on this and other threads
With regard to what has been happening at London Gatwick this year- 2023 has been a good one as far as new airlines and pre-Covid resumptions are concerned, and things have happened that no one expected. For instance, Air India was a surprise to many of us, as was Air Mauritius moving from LHR and China Southern joining Gatwick from next month. I doubt people saw these coming. Stranger things have happened and do happen, so I wouldn't entirely rule out seeing Cathay Pacific back at Gatwick again. However, much of this is going to depend on the recovery of the LON-HKG market as well as CX's prioritisation of route resumptions going into 2024. Only time will tell of course, but hopefully 2024 will build on the success of this year for Gatwick.