Cathay will increase its Hong Kong-Madrid services this October, offering the perfect excuse for tapas and culture en route to adventures in South America.
Cathay Pacific is turning Madrid into its springboard for Latin America. From 25 October 2026, the airline moves to a daily Hong Kong-Madrid service and adds oneworld codeshares with Iberia to Fortaleza, Recife, Buenos Aires and Santo Domingo. The additional services bring Argentina and the Dominican Republic into the Hong Kong-based airline’s network for the first time and give Asia-based travellers a smoother route into South America‘s east coast.
The move extends Cathay’s Latin American footprint beyond its existing six-city network, which already spans Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Lima and Santiago via European, North American and Oceania gateways. This makes Cathay Pacific the only carrier offering non-stop connectivity between Hong Kong and the Spanish capital, one of the carrier’s most strategically important European nodes outside London.
For travellers routing through Madrid, the timing works in their favour. The three new weekly flights — Monday, Thursday and Saturday — depart Hong Kong at 12:40 and land in Madrid at 20:30, leaving a full evening free before onward connections. That’s more than enough time for a proper Madrid welcome: a stop at Casa Dani or Mercado de San Miguel for jamón and croquetas, a late tapas crawl through La Latina, or a cocktail at Salmón Gurú before collapsing into a suite at one of the city’s leading luxury hotels.
Layover time is also increasingly a draw in its own right. The Prado and Reina Sofía sit within walking distance of the centre, and Madrid’s dining scene — now anchored by multiple Michelin-starred kitchens alongside its unpretentious tapas culture — gives connecting passengers a genuine reason to break their journey rather than rush through it.
Cathay first launched Madrid service in 2016 with four weekly flights and also runs a seasonal summer route to Barcelona. The Latin America push fits a broader pattern: 33 destinations across Belt and Road countries and nearly 600 weekly flights, with codeshares quietly filling in the map where direct routes don’t yet make sense.
If you’re headed to the Spanish capital, don’t miss our guide to the best rooftop bars across the city, Madrid’s best markets, the leading luxury hotels, an insight into vermouth culture in Madrid, and easy day trips for foodies and culture seekers.
