Capacity grows on Asia route

ALAN PEAT
THINGS HAVE heated up on the SA-Asia airways, with extra cargo capacity coming on stream. First off is Thai Airways, one of SAA’s partners in the Star Alliance of international airlines, which launched a new non-stop service between Johannesburg and Bangkok at the end of last month with three flights a week. Second on the line is Cathay Pacific Airways which, according to Business Report, has switched from the Airbus A340-300 which previously flew the daily Johannesburg-Hong Kong service, to a larger capacity Boeing 747-400. As of December 1, this service will also offer a new connection with mainland China, with Cathay due to start a daily service from Hong Kong to Shanghai – the commercial capital of China Add to all that SAA, which has daily flights to Hong Kong with an Airbus A340-600.