OREANDA-NEWS. June 26, 2013. Cathay Pacific’s own service to Moscow will now be complemented by three additional destinations in Russia as Hong Kong’s home carrier announces a new code-share agreement with oneworld partner, S7 Airlines.

St. Petersburg in the west along with Vladivostok and Khabarovsk in the east will provide Cathay Pacific passengers with a coast-to-coast offering of important business and intriguing leisure destinations.

The new services further expand Cathay Pacific’s reach into Russia. The airline currently operates thrice weekly service to Moscow, which it launched in July 2010. Cathay Pacific will now place its CX code on S7’s daily service between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It will also place its CX code on S7’s flights between Hong Kong and Vladivostok as well as Khabarovsk, served three and two times a week, respectively. Tickets for the new code-share services are now open for sale for travel beginning 3 July 2013.

Cathay Pacific Director Sales and Marketing Rupert Hogg said: “This significantly broadens the travel opportunities to Russia for our customers, expanding trade and tourism in the process. We are pleased to be able to add this service through our oneworld partner, S7, which has grown to be one of Russia’s largest and most respected airlines. They have done this with a modern fleet and a very technology savvy approach to customer service.”

Located on the edge of the Baltic Sea in the northwest corner of Russia, St. Petersburg is a cultural wonderland featuring amazing architecture, beautiful waterways, and more than 200 museums including the world famous Hermitage. The city, for years the nation’s capital, is known to host more than 100 festivals and events annually, making it a major tourist destination. Among the most well-known offerings is the White Nights Festival, which goes around the clock because the sun is still out at midnight. Behind the scenes, the city is also a major financial centre and industrial capital.

On the opposite end of the country, Vladivostok serves as the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. Shipping and commercial fishing underscore its economy, with the latter producing almost four-fifths of the area’s commercial production. The result is a vast array of seafood dining options including long-legged spider crabs and sea cucumbers. Originally founded as a military port, Vladivostok now serves as the eastern starting point of the Trans-Siberian Highway and more famously the Trans-Siberian Railway. It is also the birthplace of stage and screen actor Yul Brynner and features a park with a statue of him carved in granite brought from China.

About 800 kilometres north of Vladivostok and just 30 kilometres from the Chinese border lies Khabarovsk on the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers. Lesser known than the other two cities, it has its own unique charm and some of the best museums east of Moscow. It is renowned for its quaint shops and markets as well as its many sightseeing walks through squares and historical streets where iconic buildings like the Cathedral of Transfiguration seemingly spring from nowhere. In the winter, ice sculptures highlight its main gathering places with participating artists travelling in from around the world. Its economy turns on gold and silver mining, steel mills and food packing. In 2010, it was honoured by Forbes magazine as one of the most suitable cities in Russia for private business.

As part of the agreement, S7 Airlines will add its S7 code to Cathay Pacific’s flights between Hong Kong and Moscow as well as expand its reach into Asia by placing its code on Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and both Bangkok and Singapore. It will also place its code on Dragonair flights between Hong Kong and Chiang Mai.