Cathay Pacific History: From the DC-3 Betsy to Today – Airline Employee Shop

Cathay Pacific History

Cathay Pacific started with one war-surplus DC-3 and two adventurous pilots, and grew into Hong Kong's home airline. Here's a short history of Cathay Pacific, plus the Cathay Pacific collection that celebrates it.

One DC-3 and two pilots (1945-1947)

American pilot Roy Farrell, who had flown wartime supply missions over the Hump for CNAC, bought a Douglas DC-3 nicknamed Betsy in October 1945. He started a charter business in Shanghai with Australian pilot Sydney de Kantzow. The pair moved to Hong Kong and founded Cathay Pacific Airways on 24 September 1946. Cathay is an old name for China. Farrell added Pacific because he expected the airline would one day fly across it.

The Swire years and the jet age (1948-1997)

Swire bought a majority stake in 1948, when the fleet had six DC-3s and two Catalinas. On 1 July 1959 Cathay took over Hong Kong Airways. The Convair 880 brought the jet age in the 1960s, and by 1967 the whole fleet was jet-powered. The first Boeing 747, VR-HKG, arrived in 1979 and made Cathay a long-haul carrier.

A new airport and new partners (1998-2019)

The last Cathay flights left Kai Tak on 5 July 1998, and operations moved to the new airport at Chek Lap Kok the next day. That same year Cathay co-founded the oneworld alliance. Dragonair became a wholly owned subsidiary in 2006. In 2019 Cathay bought low-cost carrier HK Express.

Recent years (2020-today)

Cathay shut down its regional arm, Cathay Dragon, in October 2020. In 2023 it completed a rebrand with Cathay as its main brand and renamed its freight business Cathay Cargo. In 2026 the airline marks its 80th anniversary.

A few things collectors love

  • Betsy was sold in 1955 and was found still flying in Queensland in 1981. Swire bought her back, flew her home in 1983 and gave her to the Hong Kong Science Museum, where she wears her original Cathay livery.
  • The brushwing livery appeared in the early 1990s, and the logo was updated in 1994.
  • Cathay made the first commercial landing at Chek Lap Kok when the new airport opened in 1998.

Shop Cathay Pacific

Browse Cathay Pacific logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Cathay Pacific collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for a gift any Cathay Pacific fan will enjoy.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com is an independent retailer of airline memorabilia. This page is for historical interest and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cathay Pacific.