Cathay Pacific Airways and Qatar Airways have announced the launch of a new code-share agreement between the two oneworld alliance airlines.

Cathay Pacific on Tuesday night formally celebrated its new service between Hong Kong and Doha at a gala event held in Doha.  Under a strategic agreement with its oneworld partner - Qatar Airways - Cathay Pacific first started servicing Doha directly on March 30.

Following the launch of the new twice-daily service between Hong Kong and Doha, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways have now announced an extensive code-share agreement between the two airlines.

The agreement will offer both Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways passengers greater flexibility and a wider choice when travelling from Hong Kong to Europe, Africa and the Gulf or from Doha to Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan.

The code-share agreement enables passengers to freely book on either airline to an expanded network of destinations, while benefiting from accruing frequent flyer points or miles, together with other oneworld member privileges, said a statement.

Effective April 2014, Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Auckland, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Seoul will carry the “QR” code, while Qatar Airways flights between Doha and Jeddah, Nairobi, Athens, Geneva, Madrid, Barcelona and Venice will carry Cathay Pacific’s “CX” code.

Cathay Pacific chief executive Ivan Chu said: “Cathay Pacific has been serving the Middle East for more than 30 years and we are committed to developing our presence in this ever-growing market. Doha is our fourth destination in the region and the launch of the new service will enable travellers here to enjoy the great connectivity Cathay Pacific offers via the Hong Kong hub to our extensive network in Asia, Australia and China. At the same time, the launch of the code-share agreement with Qatar Airways will provide even more travel options for our customers.”

Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Alliances and code shares alike are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today – and that will continue long into the future. Becoming a member of oneworld last October was one of the most significant landmarks in Qatar Airways’ history. It has strengthened our competitive offering and the advent of these new code-share routes with our partner Cathay Pacific will expand travel options for Qatar Airways passengers across routes in Australasia and North Asia.” -TradeArabia News Service