Everyone Agreed that the start of a four-times-a-week flight to and from Hong Kong was going to be a very good thing – for Hong Kong, for Abu Dhabi, and for Cathay Pacific.

This is a deal that Abu Dhabi Inc has been working hard to achieve. Discussions have been under way for three years, during which time the airport itself has changed almost beyond recognition. Cathay Pacific is one of the more conservative airlines, so it wasn’t going to commit without a lot of persuasion and a lot of evidence.

Still, it’s been doing rather well out of its slots at Dubai airport, with seat occupancy running at 70-80 percent and many of its twice-daily flights sold out completely. People want to move between the UAE and Hong Kong - and Abu Dhabi is one place they obviously want to get to.

ADTA is forecasting big increases in hotel guests for 2011, and a disproportionate number of those extra nights will be spent by people coming here from China. The 2nd June start day for Cathay Pacific’s flights suits ADTA very well; it’s right at the start of a busy period for tourists.

Indeed, these services fill a yawning gap in the direct-flight routes available to the Abu Dhabi traveller – Japan and Seoul are available to us; so are Manila, Malaysia, Australia and Beijing.

At the press conference everyone was talking about the huge potential of the Hong Kong route, and the Cathay Pacific people indicated that they expect to be looking for more landing slots “very soon”.

This sounds like a no-brainer to us; China is already an economic powerhouse and Hong Kong is right next to the main business areas of the country, so there are sound reasons for two-way traffic – even before you start looking at the tourism potential at both ends of the route. Count us in!

Dennis Jarrett