Wayfarer travel TV show: the best of Adelaide as Cathay Pacific returns to South Australia
The announcement by Cathay Pacific completes the re-establishment of all international routes flying into Adelaide before the pandemic.
From Tuesday 11 November 2025, Cathay Pacific will re-commence direct flights from Hong Kong to Adelaide three times per week on a A350-900 aircraft, featuring 280 seats and it will be the first time Premium Economy is available on this route.
The flights will operate on a seasonal basis until 27 March 2026, flying out of Adelaide on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
“We are thrilled to be reconnecting our home hub with Adelaide, a bustling city that holds particular significance for Cathay Pacific,” said Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Lavinia Lau.
“We first launched passenger flights to the South Australian capital in 1992, and then two years later our first batch of cadet pilots arrived in the city to complete their flight training, marking the start of our more than three-decade collaboration with Flight Training Adelaide.
“With our return to Adelaide, we will be operating close to 90 return flights per week to eight destinations in the Southwest Pacific at the peak of this winter season, providing a great many choices for our customers travelling between the region and our home hub.”
South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas, said the tourism expenditure of the reinstated Cathay Pacific service is estimated to generate $17 million per year for the State’s economy.
He said South Australia’s Asian tourism market injected $783 million into the State’s visitor economy in the year to December 2024, generating more than 8.3 million bed nights.
Hong Kong visitors are also known for spending an average of 11 nights in Australia, nearly double the average length of stay for all international visitors, Malinauskas said.
He added the State Government, through its lead airline attraction agency, the South Australian Tourism Commission, has worked closely with Adelaide Airport to reinstate direct Cathay Pacific flights to Adelaide.
The news follows last month’s historic announcement of United Airlines commencing direct flights between Adelaide and San Francisco from December 2025 in what will be the first ever direct route between South Australia and the United States of America.
Air New Zealand: Auckland – Adelaide
Cathay Pacific: Hong Kong – Adelaide
China Southern Airlines: Guangzhou – Adelaide
Emirates: Dubai – Adelaide
Fiji Airways: Nadi – Adelaide
Indonesia AirAsia: Denpasar – Adelaide
Jetstar: Denpasar – Adelaide
Malaysia Airlines: Kuala Lumpur – Adelaide
Qantas: Auckland – Adelaide
Qatar Airways: Doha – Adelaide
Singapore Airlines: Singapore – Adelaide
United Airlines: San Francisco – Adelaide