Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite Business Class on display in Sydney

Cathay Pacific has unveiled its next-generation Aria Suite Business Class seats to local audiences today, with Australia only the second country outside Hong Kong to receive the offering.

The Hong Kong to Sydney flight and its Aria Suite Business Class touched down for the first time at noon on Tuesday.

Sydney-Hong Kong is the first long-haul route outside Europe to debut the Aria Suite onboard a retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The aircraft also feature a brand-new Premium Economy and refreshed Economy cabin.

The new Aria Suite sets a benchmark for premium air travel with the class now available on selected flights from Sydney to Hong Kong. It is part of HK$100 billion (about AU$203 million) being invested by Cathay Pacific into its fleet, cabin products, airport lounges and advancing digital innovation.

The Aria Suite Business Class delivers a reimagined cabin experience showcasing unrivalled comfort, style and functionality. The carriers says artistry and craftsmanship have gone into every design detail and the suite offers a more personalised and immersive travel experience, featuring a spacious cabin, intuitive seat designs and refined finishes that reflect Cathay Pacificʼs dedication to quality.

Whilst retaining key features of Cathay Pacificʼs existing Business class seats such as the reverse herringbone arrangement (with passengers angled away from the aisle), luxurious bedding and abundant stowage.

Cathay is currently flying the Boeing 777-300ER five times per week on selected Sydney-Hong Kong flights.

Aria Suite includes a range of new enhancements, such as soft LED lighting, privacy doors and wireless charging consoles for seamless connectivity.

The refined Business class cabin contains 45 suites configured in a 1-2-1 layout and showcases an impressive entertainment experience, including a 24-inch 4K screen ‒ the largest ever offered by the airline.

In keeping with the theme of ʻWhere Artistry Takes Flight ʼ and paying homage to Cathay Pacificʼs home city, each Aria Suite cabin on the 777-300ER features unique pieces of artwork created by artists who share a deep connection with Hong Kong through its Gallery in the Skies.

Cathay has revealed new seat products which are to be introduced over the next three years, each designed to elevate the inflight experience for customers.

The first was the all-new Business and Premium Economy cabins, and a refreshed Economy cabin on the retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER. Premium Economy, like the Business class cabin, has been meticulously crafted, from the generous seats to the intelligent lighting design and modern fixtures.

The state-of-the-art cabin features extra privacy, 15.6-inch 4K widescreen TVs with Bluetooth audio pairing and exclusive Premium Economy lavatories.

The new cabin design and high-end fit-out are key elements of Cathay Pacificʼs long-term vision to become one of the worldʼs greatest service brands by enhancing its global offering and providing customers with exceptional inflight comfort.

“We are proud to bring our highly anticipated, premium and customer-centric Aria Suite, brand-new Premium Economy and refreshed Economy cabins to our customers travelling to and from Australia, reinforcing our commitment to providing an unparalleled level of comfort and convenience,” Cathay Regional general manager, Southwest Pacific, Frosti Lau said. “With Sydney being the chosen destination for the second long-haul route to fly the Aria Suite ‒ following the London-Hong Kong launch in January ‒ it demonstrates the importance of the Australian market to Cathay Pacific.

“We are thrilled to see our newest cabin products on our Sydney-Hong Kong route so soon after we celebrated the direct serviceʼs 50th anniversary in late 2024.

“We understand that customers are not just looking for a comfortable seat, but rather a space where they can enjoy, relax and immerse themselves in the experience. Our intuitive design paired with our unparallelled service, brings an incredibly elevated Business class experience to our customers ‒ this is what we set out to achieve with our new Aria Suite.

In its return from Covid, Cathay Group achieved a solid financial performance in announcing its annual results for 2024, driven by stronger cargo demand, higher passenger volumes, lower fuel price and cost efficiencies (compared with the previous year).

Cathay has also won two prestigious accolades at Air Transport World Airline Industry Achievement Awards – Cathay Cargo has regained its position as Cargo Operator of the Year, having previously been named the world’s best cargo airline in 2023, while Cathay Pacific has been named Eco-Airline of the Year, the first airline in Asia to receive this recognition.