Guest of honour, Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was joined by officials from the European Union, Belgium and Hong Kong to mark the airline’s four-times-weekly service.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg said: “The very first non-stop service between Belgium and Hong Kong has great flight timings in both directions and will serve our customers well.

“Travellers wake up fresh at the start of the business day in Hong Kong and Brussels, while those needing to fly beyond our home hub can take advantage of our extensive worldwide network.”

Also in attendance at the event, which was supported by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, were  Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission, Johan Van Overtveldt, Minister of Finance of the Federal Government of Belgium and Vivian Cheung, Deputy Director, Aviation Development, Airport Authority Hong Kong.

Guests enjoyed a special performance from Hong Kong-born, Belgium-based marimbists Fiona Foo Pui-yee and Humphrey Leung Wai-leuk of Mars Duo.