CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS is revving up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its London services which started on 16 July 1980. The route was initially flown by a Boeing 747-200 three times per week via Bahrain, a total journey time of around 17 hours. Today a 747-400 takes less than 12 hours non-stop eastbound, an Airbus A340 perhaps 30 minutes more, whilst in the other direction one should add one hour due to heavy winds. The airline is to add a fourth daily flight starting December with an additional evening departure from Heathrow that offers passengers an extra choice of departure time. All flights connect with the airline”s three times daily Sydney services. Our picture (left) is a reminder that Cathay once flew the now forgotten Convair 880 (with a JAL DC8 in the background).
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