Cathay Cathay Cathay () is an alternative historical name for China in English. During the early modern period Europeans thought of "Cathay" as a completely separate and distinct culture from China. As knowledge of East Asia increased, Cathay came to be seen as the same nation as China and the term '"Cathay" became a poetic name for the nation. The name "Cathay" originates from the word Khitan (), the name of a nomadic people who founded the Liao Empire which ruled much of today's Northern China from 907 to 1125, and who later migrated west after they were overthrown by the
Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific temporarily took over Philippine Airlines's domestic and international operations during its fourteen-day shutdown (from 26 September – 7 October 1998). The airline was hurt by the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, but recorded a record HK$5 billion profit in 2000. On Monday, 6 July 1998, at 00:00 HKT, Kai Tak International Airport saw its last commercial departure, Cathay Pacific Flight 251 (a Boeing 747-400) to London Heathrow Airport, after over 73 years of operation. The next day, Cathay Pacific Flight 889 (a Boeing 747-400 from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport piloted by Captain Paul