Cathay Pacific reopens Paris CDG lounge

After a long wait, Cathay Pacific’s lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport is once again open and welcoming travellers – and if there’s comfort in familiarity, passengers will be very comfortable indeed.

The lounge looks almost identical to when it debuted in mid-2012, retaining the same design from UK-based Foster + Partners which also shaped Cathay’s The Wing lounges at Hong Kong.

Instead of the warmly elegant residential template created by Ilse Crawford’s Studio Ilse to become Cathay’s signature lounge design, this Parisian salon retains its cooler and unmistakably ‘business lounge’ vibe of bright woods, bamboo, white marble and black granite.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

All the same, Cathay has subtly refreshed the lounge during its extended pandemic and then post-pandemic closure.

There are plenty of caramel, navy and grey leather lounge chairs for travellers to sink into, with white benches between many chairs offering AC and USB power.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

A bank of Cathay’s Solus workstation booths offer privacy and focus, albeit with a bit of a squeeze compared to the more spacious and comfortable Solo version which features in most other Cathay lounges.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

(Both the Solo and Solus are bespoke products developed for Cathay – the former by Foster + Partners, the latter by Ilse Crawford – and there’s perhaps no better illustration of the marked difference in each studio’s approach.)

Another holdover from the old days of airport lounge design is the ‘business zone’ tucked away in a nook beyond the dining area, with Windows and Apple Mac desktops plus a printer.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

As to dining: a hallmark of every Cathay Pacific lounge is the Noodle Bar serving up made-to-order bowls of noodles and other Asian delights, to complement the hot and cold buffet.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

Most drinks are self-serve, from the push-button coffee machine to Jing teas and spirits – and of course there’s Champagne.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

Rounding out the Cathay Pacific CDG lounge experience are four oversized shower suites.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

Windows facing the runway let you enjoy the slow-moving fishbowl of one of the world’s busiest airports.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

The Cathay Pacific Paris CDG lounge is located on Level 2 of what’s described as Terminal 2AC – a connecting building between Terminals 2A and 2C – making it available to loungeworthy passengers on Oneworld flights departing from either 2A or 2C.

This includes the 10.30am Qantas flight QF34 to Perth, which leaves while the Cathay lounge is open and an hour ahead of Cathay’s own CX260 to Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific's Paris CDG lounge.

As such, the Cathay Pacific CDG lounge could make a pleasing alternative to the independent Salon Paul Maxence at Terminal 2A, to which Qantas currently sends passengers – just be prepared to be turned away from the Cathay Pacific lounge if it’s especially busy during peak travel periods.

Also noteworthy: the Cathay Pacific lounge is just past an outlet of French bakery and macaron specialist Ladurée, so that’s your take-home present sorted.

The Paris CDG lounge is the last in Cathay’s network to reopen – and while an overhaul to adopt the Studio Ilse design has been spoken of in the past, there are rumours that Oneworld intends to open its own all-new lounge at Terminal 3 next year, with the possibility of Cathay then shifting its sole daily CDG-HKG flight across to T3.

2026 promises to be a significant year for the Cathay loungescape, with the airline cutting the ribbon on its first-ever lounge in New York, at the redeveloped and transformed JFK Terminal 6, which will host Cathay flights after the airline moves across from its current home at T8.

Cathay will move from JFK Terminal 8 to the new Terminal 6 in early 2026.

Cathay is promising travellers an appropriately “flagship” lounge at JFK, and teased the T6 haven “will feature a number of exciting developments that will put it at the forefront of our lounge proposition.”

Read more: Cathay Pacific New York JFK lounge to open early 2026

And in the middle of 2026, The Wing First Class lounge at Hong Kong is slated to reopen an “understated luxury” design inspired by The Pier First.

Then it’ll be the turn of The Wing Business Class lounge to be made over – a project which will likely stretch from mid-2026 to mid-2027.

Also read: Cathay extends free Wi-Fi to premium economy