Cathay Pacific is growing its cargo capacity in the Transpacific with its recent announcement of the return of its non-stop flights to Seattle from March 30, 2026.

Seattle marks the airline's ninth passenger destination in North America, further enhancing the global connectivity of its Hong Kong hub.

In the announcement, the Hong Kong flag carrier said this comes as Cathay Pacific continues to strengthen its presence in North America. In April this year, the airline debuted its direct passenger flights between Hong Kong and Dallas-Fort Worth, which will increase to daily from October 26 by popular demand, up from the current four return flights per week.

"We are excited to resume direct passenger flights to Seattle, reinforcing our goal to deepen business and cultural ties between Hong Kong and a dynamic tech hub in the United States," said Lavinia Lau, chief customer and commercial officer at Cathay.

"This route not only provides greater convenience for our customers, but also supports the growing demand for connectivity between Asia and North America, particularly among travellers from the Chinese Mainland and India," she added.

The Hong Kong-Seattle service will be operated using Cathay Pacific's Airbus A350-900 aircraft. 

The Airbus A350-900's cargo hold can carry up to 20 tonnes of freight in its lower deck when operating in passenger configuration. It accommodates up to 36 LD3 containers or 11 pallets, with a total volume of approximately 170 cubic meters, making it a valuable asset for bellyhold cargo on long-haul routes, especially for high-value or time-sensitive shipments.

Cathay noted that flight schedules are all still subject to regulatory approval.

It noted that the new five-times-weekly service complements Cathay Pacific's North America summer schedule for 2026, which includes more than 110 return flights per week to Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.

"Cathay Pacific's new Seattle service also provides more options for cargo customers," the carrier said.

It noted that the belly space on Cathay Pacific’s passenger flights complements the close to 40 return freighter flights per week that Cathay Cargo will operate to North America at the peak of the 2026 summer season.