Cathay Pacific, the flagship carrier of Hong Kong, is adding three European direct flight destinations next year.

The airline said it will start non-stop services between Hong Kong and Brussels, Dublin and Copenhagen, the first of which will begin from March next year, in a bid to attract new trade and tourism to Hong Kong.

The move will bring the airline's network to a total of 15 destinations and make Cathay Pacific the first Chinese airline to fly to Dublin and Copenhagen.

All three new European routes will be served by the airline’s newest aircraft, the Airbus A350, and each flight will leave Hong Kong after midnight and arrive into Hong Kong around 7:00 am.

European destinations welcome about 10 million Chinese visitors each year. In 2016, Chinese travelers made 122 million outbound trips to all destinations globally.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg said the new services will meet customer demand and increase access to and from Hong Kong.

"Growing our reach to new destinations that aren't served from Hong Kong boosts the city’s status as Asia's largest international hub and enables us to capture new and important sources of revenue," he said.

Next year has been designated the EU–China Tourism Year, a tourism initiative developed last summer between China's Premier Li Keqiang and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

Email: gaohan@nbd.com.cn