Cathay Pacific Airways will open flights to Moscow and Manchester starting from March 27, 2006, the Hong Kong-registered airline announced here Tuesday.

Though final government approvals still pending, Cathay Pacific claimed in a press release itself the first Hong Kong airline to fly Moscow.

Aircraft of the company will fly three times a week to Moscow, sharing code with Aeroflot.

The same aircraft will then continue onward to Manchester, making Cathay Pacific the only airline providing direct passenger service from Hong Kong to the British city.

The route will be operated with an Airbus A340-300.

"Moscow is an exciting destination and our new service will offer Hong Kong passengers more choices and greater travel convenience to this great capital," said Philip Chen, chief executive of Cathay Pacific.

"With three new services to Manchester, we will operate an unmatched 31 flights every week from Hong Kong to the UK," he said.

The announcement came a week after the airline placed its biggest ever order for new aircraft in order to add flights and new destinations.

Cathay Pacific last week made commitments for 16 advanced wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with purchase rights for 20 more. It also made commitments to acquire three Airbus A330-300s to operate regional routes.

(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2005)