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Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo expand their business partnership by including Swiss WorldCargo on May 31
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Swiss WorldCargo’s entry enables it to cooperate with Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo in sales, pricing, contracts, and handling of Hong Kong-Europe shipments
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Under the expanded alliance, the carriers will first cooperate on network planning, sales, IT and ground handling in their Hong Kong, Zurich and Frankfurt hubs
Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo have added Swiss WorldCargo to their joint business agreement, saying their expanded partnership provides cargo customers with more direct connections, more flexibility and more time saving.
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay and Germany’s Lufthansa Cargo announced the entry of Swiss WorldCargo into their partnership on May 31.
Swiss WorldCargo’s entry builds on the joint business agreement signed in 2016 between Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo, which enables the two airlines to cooperate in terms of sales, pricing, contracts, and handling of shipments between Hong Kong and Europe.
Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo already have a close collaboration on international lanes via their hubs in Hong Kong and Frankfurt, Germany. Cargo-handling in Hong Kong is coordinated under one roof at the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport.
Under the expanded joint business agreement, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa Cargo, and Swiss WorldCargo will work closely together on network planning, sales, IT and ground-handling.
Initially, the airlines will cooperate on traffic from Hong Kong to Zurich and Frankfurt, with traffic to and from Hong Kong and the rest of Europe planned to be included later this year. Cargo customers can access the entire joint network via the booking systems of all three partners.
“We are delighted to welcome Swiss WorldCargo into our joint business agreement. Cathay Pacific is always looking for more ways to give our cargo customers greater choice and more options for shipments whenever they fly their goods with us,” Cathay Pacific director of cargo Tom Owen said.
“The addition of Swiss WorldCargo’s flights to the already large combined network of Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa will further bring Hong Kong, the world’s busiest air cargo hub, closer to Europe and strengthen one of the world’s great trade lanes.”
Lufthansa Cargo CEO Dorothea von Boxberg said the trilateral cooperation brings three well-known cargo carriers to the table and makes their customers an even more attractive offer.
“Cargo customers will appreciate the opportunities for quicker and easier shipping. The expanded joint venture will generate numerous benefits for our customers because our networks, our hubs and our fleet complement each other effectively,” von Boxberg said.
Swiss International Air Lines head of cargo Lorenzo Stoll said: “We are very excited to be entering this joint business agreement between Lufthansa Cargo and Cathay Pacific, thanks to which we cannot only strengthen our already close collaboration, but also expand our network offering to our customers, while staying true to our high quality and flexibility.”
The joint activities will be carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws, including the competition rules of the European Union and Hong Kong, the partners said.
Cathay Pacific offers scheduled passenger and cargo services to destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, Europe and Africa. Cathay Pacific is one of the world’s biggest international air cargo carriers, operating a dedicated freighter fleet to 45 destinations.
READ: Cathay Pacific sustains cargo, passenger traffic rebound
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is Switzerland’s largest air carrier. Its division, Swiss WorldCargo, offers an extensive range of airport-to-airport airfreight services for high-value, time-critical and care-intensive consignments.
With a turnover of €3.8 billion (US$4.07 billion) and a transport performance of 7.2 billion freight ton kilometers in 2021, Lufthansa Cargo is one of the world’s leading companies in the transport of airfreight. Its focus is on the airport-to-airport business.
