Oh, wonderful! Thanks for your confirmation:)

I must admit I am not sure if this should be posted here or at https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cath...cheduling.html, but since we are following the same sort discussion, I will post it here now.

Based on the email I just received from CXagents, SHA will see one more flight per week this winter:
CX328/HKGSHA/1835-2055 and CX327/SHAHKG/2230-0120+1 will increase from MTh to MThSu eff. 26OCT25.

The WNZ route will see time and flight number change on Th only:
CX308/HKGWNZ/0835-1030 and CX355/WNZHKG/1140-1355 (no change to overall frequency)

Oh, that is excellent news! I had always wished that CX327 operates on Sunday so that I don't have to wait until 1:35 PM on Monday to return to HKG from SHA.

Count me as one of them. Very happy to see this flight added.

The existing CAN-HKG mid-morning flight was too late for midday connections to SFO/LAX. Virtually no one flies CAN-HKG unless they are connecting anyways. This makes a lot of sense to compete with CZ with a much better flight UX.

May be relevant to route discussions:

1. AirServiceOne report on HKG-Europe and how CX now has 66% of the market, with most competitors having retrenched: https://airserviceone.com/hong-kong-...of-the-market/
The report claims only Turkish has expanded its capacity since 2019, though the chart indicates that KLM has too. May mean IST is less likely as a CX destination than adding capacity at other European hubs.

2. Copenhagen Airport route analysis update shows HKG as the 12th most underserved long haul; however, there are much less trafficked routes being added this year or next like Mumbai and Minneapolis. Range/aircraft may be a consideration for those, but the new Seoul and HCMC routes don't have *that* many more passengers that had been connecting than HKG. That SAS is out of the market may make this one eventually more interesting for CX as well (unless SAS comes back first).
https://www.cph.dk/en/cph-business/a...tinations_2024

3. Interesting to compare the routes being launched from/to CPH to this previously posted analysis of Geneva underserved routes; while GVA is naturally focused first and foremost on adding Singapore with its higher passenger numbers and incredibly high (44%!) premium yield, the number of HKG passengers to/from GVA is more than twice the number as for CPH, where much lower traffic routes are being pursued, is tied with Mexico City for second highest premium yield, and still might be worthwhile for consideration (and the GVA data was from the post-COvid recovery period of 2023-24 with numbers presumably higher now):
https://airserviceone.com/unlocking-...north-america/

Does anyone know why CX suspended Istanbul

CX served IST from 08Aug1998 to 15Nov2001. It was a 2x weekly (late night HKGIST on TuF and day-time ISTHKG on WSa) throughout the 3 years, so it was never a significant operation. TK was part of SR's Qualiflyer programme back then, and all those airlines used to be oneworld leaning before being taken by Star Alliance one by one. I guess the route never performed well (or else CX would have increased frequency), and the lack of connecting possibilities at IST made it unfeasible. The press release can be found at https://web.archive.org/web/20011217...71913,00.html/

honestly, considering airspace issues, unless it is resolved, i think foriegn european carriers are unlikely to come back/ increase capacity to HKG in the long run(which is sad). not to mention CX being extremely dominant, it is hard to compete. any more flights or frequencies could maybe only come from CX. maybe GVA could work sometime in the future considering business travel, and there are virtually no asian routes there except CA. though not sure it would be top priority above other destinations in other regions, or simply making other european routes daily (especially MAD, FCO)

I was on this flight IST- HKG sometime Oct 1998. There were only 5 pax in the entire Y section. Best flight ever! :);)
I'm surprised it lasted that long (3 years?!) considering the light loads back then. That said, it's been over 25 years. Time to re-evaluate?

perhaps
I guess CX needs to zero in on how exactly TK is sustaining this route and doing so well.
And either open direct flights to those transfer cities or if IST is really that big open up their own flights

IST isn’t about O&D. IST is about connecting traffic to Europe via ME (and to a lesser extent transits to ME/Africa).

What you're seeing w/ frequencies is a different busines. They’re part of the current ME-carriers-do-southern-China brawl. Yes, TK just added a 2nd IST-HKG (now ~10–11x weekly, up from 7x). Etihad resumes pax flights to HKG next month. EK launched dailies to Shenzhen. EK still hasn’t restored pre-Covid HKG capacity despite pledging to do so (they had 3x nonstops pre-Covid, now just 2x), and that’s the next lever in the ME bloodbath, not CX to IST. That's what this is all about. Those guys are all fighting each other, they're the ME connector competitors. It would be very strange and impractical if CX jumped in to a ME superconnector to Europe fight. (CX has plenty to contend with competing with its east asian competitors, and wasting resources on a boondoggle in IST would take away from that.)

As a selfish pax, I’m hoping EK continues the bloodbath brings back their 3rd nonstop (the 7:30am HKG departure). That was my favorite, and I like to spread my business around. And EK F price is still a bit higher than pre Covid, but has come down significantly these last 2 years, and I think it has more to go "thanks" to their friends at Turkish. Personally I would like CX to launch/relaunch other places (and fly F to more places), and I'd choke on my dinner if they launched IST first before many of them.

(You'd be correct for being gobsmacked that CX flies to Urumqi and Riyadh now instead of some other destinations, clearly non-economic destinations without "help". Those are govt subsidies or "makes you an offer you can't refuse" type routes. I'm sure IST would happen in a heartbeat if one of the govts subsidized CX (or put a gun to their head), but that clearly hasn't happened yet. I'm pretty confident that route isn't economic for CX without one of those factors.)

Agreed, the ME carriers are another reason european carriers are very weak to asia today. the middle eastern carriers have huge frequencies to anywhere in europe and plenty of smaller cities too. TK, EK, QR are adding massive capacity to mainland china, so this further lowers the chances european carriers would ever serve HKG and mainland china nicely, added with russian airspace problems.

i unfournately think SZX replaces the 3rd nonstop daily to HK, but at least EK is sending new cabin products here and reporting strong performance in HKG and mainland china, so there is a chance in the future. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...avel-offerings

but actually quite a lot of asian carriers (including OZ,SQ,TG,KE, chinese big 3, most launched recently) have flights to IST, though likely some are just for connecting to TK. Though Tukrey has a huge population so maybe its actually serving the turkish market to some extent. but TK already can cover that from HKG.

political routes could work, RUH has now turned to an actual good route as its going to daily, as there is little competition there and plenty of transit (especially from Philippines). same for URC. though with TK in the market, iST is likely not gonna work.

EK's third daily to HK had low loadfactor even before the Pandemic and its mainly for cargo purposes. So, its logical to not resume this flight if Emirates Skycargo can cover this with additional capacity (and its very likely it does with the strong cargo demand).

Any chances of CX launching Atlanta?
massive Indian and Asian population.

or would they launch Seattle/ DC first.

I was surprised by the 80-90% load on my CX RUH flights late last year. Most were transit passengers; huge contingent from the Philippines and Indonesia. Sizeable business groups from Korea, Japan, and Mainland. HKG O&D was weak. Turns out there's good demand for destinations with fewer regional competitors.

Prices (and demand?) seem healthy too. Random 2025 mid November dates Economy class return going for HKD 6K, just a little less than LHR.