Cathay Pacific has re-launched its seasonal non-stop service between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Adelaide (ADL), marking the carrier’s full return to South Australia after a pandemic-induced pause. The first flight departed Hong Kong late on 11 November and touched down in Adelaide the following morning, but the announcement was formally published on 15 November 2025. Operating three times a week on Airbus A350-900 aircraft, the route restores a vital business-and-leisure link that dates back to 1992.
For Australian corporates the reinstated service is more than a tourism play—it cuts average door-to-door travel time to mainland China by four to six hours compared with transiting through Sydney or Melbourne, and offers same-day connections to 100-plus Asian and European destinations via Cathay’s Hong Kong hub. Cargo customers also gain new belly-hold capacity, complementing Cathay Cargo’s twice-weekly freighters to the Southwest Pacific and offering exporters of South-Australian wine and seafood quicker access to North Asian markets.
![Cathay Pacific Restores Direct Hong Kong–Adelaide Flights, Expanding Australia–Asia Connectivity]()
The return of Adelaide brings Cathay’s Australian network to six cities—Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns (seasonal), Melbourne, Perth and Sydney—while the airline simultaneously ramps Brisbane and Perth frequencies to twice daily ahead of the southern-summer peak. Industry analysts view the move as a competitive nudge at Qantas and Singapore Airlines, which currently dominate premium traffic between secondary Australian capitals and North Asia.
For mobility managers the flight offers practical benefits: assignees can now complete an Asia–Adelaide rotation without the domestic connection stress that often accompanies redeye arrivals in Sydney or Melbourne. Cathay’s schedule—Hong Kong 23:30 → Adelaide 10:30 (+1) and Adelaide 12:00 → Hong Kong 17:45—aligns neatly with morning meeting times in both cities, making two-to-three-day business trips achievable with minimal time-zone fatigue.
Tourism-Australia data show Hong Kong arrivals into South Australia were still 32 per cent below 2019 levels in mid-2025. Officials hope the renewed link will lift high-yield visitor numbers, particularly during Adelaide’s festival season, and strengthen education ties: the University of Adelaide hosted 1,400 Hong Kong students pre-COVID, a market the institution is keen to rebuild under the new MD 115 visa-processing regime.
For Australian corporates the reinstated service is more than a tourism play—it cuts average door-to-door travel time to mainland China by four to six hours compared with transiting through Sydney or Melbourne, and offers same-day connections to 100-plus Asian and European destinations via Cathay’s Hong Kong hub. Cargo customers also gain new belly-hold capacity, complementing Cathay Cargo’s twice-weekly freighters to the Southwest Pacific and offering exporters of South-Australian wine and seafood quicker access to North Asian markets.
The return of Adelaide brings Cathay’s Australian network to six cities—Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns (seasonal), Melbourne, Perth and Sydney—while the airline simultaneously ramps Brisbane and Perth frequencies to twice daily ahead of the southern-summer peak. Industry analysts view the move as a competitive nudge at Qantas and Singapore Airlines, which currently dominate premium traffic between secondary Australian capitals and North Asia.
For mobility managers the flight offers practical benefits: assignees can now complete an Asia–Adelaide rotation without the domestic connection stress that often accompanies redeye arrivals in Sydney or Melbourne. Cathay’s schedule—Hong Kong 23:30 → Adelaide 10:30 (+1) and Adelaide 12:00 → Hong Kong 17:45—aligns neatly with morning meeting times in both cities, making two-to-three-day business trips achievable with minimal time-zone fatigue.
Tourism-Australia data show Hong Kong arrivals into South Australia were still 32 per cent below 2019 levels in mid-2025. Officials hope the renewed link will lift high-yield visitor numbers, particularly during Adelaide’s festival season, and strengthen education ties: the University of Adelaide hosted 1,400 Hong Kong students pre-COVID, a market the institution is keen to rebuild under the new MD 115 visa-processing regime.
