Hong Kong Cathay Pacific Airways announced Wednesday that it will offer daily flight service between Rome and Hong Kong beginning March 27 next year.

Increased from the current five flights a week, the new service will provide passengers greater flexibility for travel between Italy, Hong Kong and connecting points in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

The airline also announced on Dec. 6 the launch of two other new services to Moscow and Manchester of Britain, which will also start from March 27.

The new services follow Cathay Pacific's biggest order for new aircraft, intended to increase the frequency of flights, connections and add new destinations from its Hong Kong hub.

The airline ordered 16 Boeing 777-300ER long-range jets, with purchase rights for 20 more, plus three Airbus A330-300s for regional routes.

Cathay Pacific currently operates 54 passenger services to five cities in Europe each week. It operates four flights a day to London, plus daily services to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, and five weekly flights to Rome. The airline serves 92 destinations worldwide.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2005)