Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways has announced a new freighter service to Canada to strengthen the airline’s presence in the country and expand customers’ choices when transporting commodities to and from Asia.
In a statement, Cathay Pacific said a new twice-weekly service to Calgary will be launched October 17 subject to government approval.
The latest addition to the carrier’s cargo network brings the total number of freighter destinations it serves in North America to 14.
The latest service will utilize Boeing 747-8 freighters to fly machinery and perishables direct from Calgary to Hong Kong to connect with Cathay Pacific’s Asian network.
Both the Tuesday and Friday services will operate on a Hong Kong-Anchorage-New York (JFK)-Calgary-Hong Kong routing, with an additional Columbus tag for the Friday flight.
Cathay Pacific director of cargo James Woodrow said the new service “will further facilitate the efficient flow of goods between Canada and Asia.”
He added that by using the Boeing 747-8F, the company’s “largest and most technologically advanced commercial freighter,” the airline will now be able to provide a fast and convenient way to move time-sensitive freight from the central Canada region to cut down on time spent in transit, “resulting in reduced handling costs for our customers.”
Stephan Poirier, senior vice-president and chief commercial officer of Calgary Airport Authority, said the airport is one of only two Canadian airports with nonstop freighter services to Europe and Asia.
“We are pleased that Cathay Pacific Cargo has selected Calgary to be its newest Canadian partner,” he went on. “We’ve invested extensively in Calgary’s cargo infrastructure over the last 15 years, strategically positioning the airport for airlines such as Cathay Pacific to enter into Calgary’s market, completing our vision of linking Alberta’s businesses to Asia.”
Relatedly, Cathay Pacific earlier released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures showing that the two airlines carried 140,444 tonnes of cargo and mail for June 2014, an increase of 15% compared to the same month last year.
The cargo and mail load factor rose by 3.2 percentage points to 64.9%. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometers, rose by 10.2%, while cargo and mail revenue tonne kilometers (RTKs) flown were up by 16%.
For the year to the end of June, tonnage rose by 8.6%, while capacity was up by 10.8% and RTKs increased by 12.1%.
“The upswing in cargo demand seen in May continued through into June, with a surge towards the end of the month as shippers rushed to meet month-end and quarter-end deadlines,” said Mark Sutch, Cathay Pacific general manager for cargo sales and marketing.
Demand remained robust out of Hong Kong and China, particularly on the trans-Pacific lanes, he further stated. “Shipments of perishable items continued to boost load factors out of North America back into Asia, while Europe benefited from higher-yield shipments of specialized products.”
Meanwhile, Etihad Cargo, the airfreight division of UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways, has added freighter flights to Vietnam with a newly launched twice-weekly cargo service between Abu Dhabi and Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport.
The dedicated cargo service will operate every Thursday and Sunday using an Airbus A330-200F freighter, with a capacity of 60 metric tonnes.
Flights enroute to Hanoi will stop briefly in Mumbai, India, while the return service is direct to Abu Dhabi.
Situated along the Red River delta, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, the country’s second biggest city which is also a major trading center and one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Etihad Cargo expects the new service to carry raw materials, consumer goods, and perishables to Hanoi, with large quantities of electronics and textiles destined for the Gulf region, Europe, and Africa loaded for the return flight.
“Vietnam is an important market for Etihad Cargo and our new twice-weekly Hanoi freighter service will build on our existing daily bellyhold operations to Ho Chi Minh City further south,” Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, said.
He said the service would allow them to capitalize on the strong import and export demand to and from Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia and “further strengthen the trade ties between the UAE and Vietnam.”
