Hong Kong flag-carrier Cathay Pacific announced on 15 July that it will place its ‘CX’ code on Iberia flights from Madrid to Fortaleza and Recife in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Daily non-stop Hong Kong–Madrid services will replace the current four-per-week schedule from 25 October, providing single-ticket, through-checked connections to the new markets. The move gives mainland Chinese exporters and business travellers a one-stop option to key Belt-and-Road economies in South America and the Caribbean without transiting the US. It also complements Cathay’s existing code-shares with LATAM via Sydney and with Air Canada via Vancouver. Travel managers should note that Brazilian and Argentine consulates in China continue to require visas, while the Dominican Republic grants e-visas within 24 hours. Iberia will handle Madrid transfer security, so passengers must meet Spain’s Schengen entry requirements even on same-day connections. Cargo divisions on both airlines plan to align interline agreements, potentially shortening lead-times for e-commerce shipments from Shenzhen and Dongguan factories to northeastern Brazil by 48 hours. Cathay said further Latin American destinations are under study, signalling that Hong Kong – and by extension the Greater Bay Area – is regaining its pre-pandemic role as an Asia-LatAm hub.
Source: South China Morning Post
