Mr. Tony Tyler, Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited was the keynote speaker at a business luncheon co-organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco and Hong Kong Association of Northern California on September 26.

At the luncheon, Mr. Tyler said Cathay Pacific was very much committed to building the image of Hong Kong as a place for business and trade. “We have been working hard to build links between Hong Kong and the United States, and in particular California,” Mr. Tyler said.

According to Mr. Tyler, hubbing was a key to the future in aviation because competition in international aviation was increasingly determined by ‘network strength’. Cathay Pacific has been working hard to develop itself as a true network carrier and at the same time enhance Hong Kong’s position as a hub.

On the issue of global warming, Cathay Pacific is proud of the environmental measures they have taken. “We have done a lot of work to improve our operation on the ground and in the air to minimize our environmental impact,” said Mr. Tyler.

“Earlier this year, we became the first airline in the Asia Pacific region to announce a carbon offset scheme as part of our overall environmental strategy,” he added.

In welcoming Mr. Tyler to San Francisco, Ms. Doris Cheung, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco said that she was looking forward to the second daily direct flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong to be launched in mid October. This would further strengthen the ties between Hong Kong and western United States, and reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a leading international aviation hub.