CATHAY PACIFIC: Seasonal Adelaide to Hong Kong flights start 11 November 2025

What is it with Adelaide at the moment? Everyone is starting international flights from there! First, Qantas flies to Auckland, the United flies to San Francisco, and now Cathay Pacific flies from Adelaide to Hong Kong.

Background to Cathay Pacific and the Adelaide service

Cathay last flew to Adelaide from Hong Kong in March 2020, after flying to the city of churches since 1992. Due to the pandemic, the service was suspended for nearly six years. Back then, the route was flown by a Cathay Airbus A330-300, with the occasional Boeing 777-300ER substituted.

Cathay Pacific will now fly to Adelaide as a seasonal route with an Airbus A350-900. That means Premium Economy will now be available on the route for the first time.

The Adelaide to Hong Kong Route

This service is now on sale, and will fly from 11 November 2025 to 27 March 2026. The flights from Adelaide will depart on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with the return flight from Hong Kong flying on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Flight details below:

• CX174 departs Adelaide 12:00 arrives Hong Kong 17:40 (Wed, Fri and Sun)
• CX173 departs Hong Kong at 23.30 arrives Adelaide 10:30 +1 day (Tue, Thu and Sat)

The Adelaide service

Cathay Pacific’s Airbus A350-900 has a three-class layout and a capacity of 280 passengers. This configuration is consistent across Cathay’s A350-900ER fleet.

There are 38 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout. The beds are fully flat and have a pitch of 45 inches. The seats are 20 inches wide.

Premium Economy has 28 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. The pitch is 40 inches, and the seat width is 20 inches.

Economy Class has 214 seats arranged in a 3-3-3 layout. The pitch is 32 inches, and the seat width is 18 inches.

Adelaide will be Cathay Pacific’s eighth destination in the Pacific Southwest. Your long services already include Hong Kong to Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Seasonal services will now run between Hong Kong and Adelaide, Cairns, and Christchurch.

Lounge access in Adelaide

In Adelaide, passengers will have access to the sole International lounge by Plaza Premium. However, if a member of OneWorld, then either the brand spanking new Qantas Business Lounge or the Qantas Club might be your preferred destination. But be careful. The Qantas facilities are all before security and immigration, so depart the lounge early to board your outbound CX174 flight.

Eligible passengers for the Qantas Lounge Precinct include Business Class passengers, Cathay Diamond, Qantas Platinum (and above), and anyone with OneWorld Emerald on their frequent flyer card.

Cathay and Qantas Golds, as well as OneWorld Saphires, can head for the Qantas Club.

Lounge access in Hong Kong

When flying from Hong Kong to Adelaide with Cathay Pacific, your access to lounges at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) depends on your travel class and frequent flyer status.

Business Class passengers have access to Cathay Pacific’s business Class lounges, which include The Wing, The Pier, The Deck, and The Bridge. However, Business Class passengers do not have guest privileges unless they have appropriate frequent Flyer status with Cathay, Qantas, or OneWorld.

Premium Economy passengers don’t necessarily give you lounge access. If you have Cathay Slover or above, then you do have access to Business Class lounges. Guest privileges again depend on Status, so for Silver, none, Gold, one, and Diamond, you can admit two guests to the lounge. For OneWorld Sapphire members, it’s Business Class lounges and up to one guest. For Emerald, you can access the First Class lounges with one guest.

Economy passengers do not automatically have the right to lounge access; however, Cathay members can purchase guest passes for US$75/HK$600.

To make life easier, here is a list of the Cathay Pacific Lounges in Hong Kong and their locations. All Cathay lounges offer shower facilities, dining, and a range of seating options.

• The Wing (near Gates 1–4): Offers both First and Business Class sections.
• The Pier (near Gates 63–65): Features separate First and Business Class lounges.
• The Deck (near Gate 6): Business Class lounge
• The Bridge (near Gates 35–36): Business Class lounge.

2PAXfly Takeout

This new service will be a great way for Adelaideans to access China and Southeast Asia. It also offers an effective stopover if heading to Europe.

You won’t see a Qantas service on this route anytime soon. But it may have this on its dance card when it has a reasonable fleet of the new Airbus A321XLRs capable of flying this route. The smaller single-aisle aircraft are hoped to be perfect for these ‘thinner’ routes, which don’t quite warrant the capacity of a twin-aisled widebody jet.

When these new jets arrive, especially when they are equipped with lie-flat beds, they should open up a range of options for international flying out of Adelaide with Qantas. According to ET, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson has mentioned Adelaide in the same breath as Paris when talking about possible routes.