CATHAY Pacific Airways is adding flights to its North America and Australia network from October and November.

The airline will launch additional flights to New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and more flights to Vancouver, which are already in operation.

"The additional services to North America and Australia will bring more people to and through Hong Kong, helping to reinforce the city's role as a leading international aviation hub and gateway to mainland China. These enhanced services coincide with the imminent arrival of our new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and rollout of our new three-class long-haul product that together will help to redefine the long-haul experience offered by the airline," said Cathay Pacific chief executive Tony Tyler.

In North America, a second non-stop flight to New York is being added from November 15, meaning the airline will operate three flights a day, including the CX888/9 service that flies via Vancouver. The two direct flights to New York will be operated using Cathay Pacific's soon-to-arrive fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The airline is also adding a second daily service to and from San Francisco from October 18. The new CX870 flight will depart Hong Kong at 1410 hrs, supplementing the existing CX872 late-afternoon departure, while the return CX879 service from San Francisco provides travellers with more options when connecting through the Hong Kong hub.

Cathay Pacific further boosted its North American services recently by adding three additional flights a week to and from Vancouver. The extra flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Hong Kong bring the total number of flights operated by the carrier to the Canadian city to 17 every week.