ACW - Air Cargo Week
04/23/2012
Cathay boosts Indian freighter coverage
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Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways is to further expand its presence in India with the launch of a new twice-weekly freighter service to Hyderabad on 17 May.
The new link will make Cathay the first airline to offer an air cargo service linking India’s fourth-most populous city through its Hong Kong hub with East and North Asia.
In addition, the carrier will commence a third weekly freighter flight to Bengaluru on the same date, in order to meet high demand for capacity to and from India’s leading information technology hub.
A statement from the carrier said the launch of the new Hyderabad service and the added frequency to Bengaluru will give shippers more choice and flexibility for connecting to the airline’s international cargo network through the Hong Kong hub.
Cathay Pacific director cargo Nick Rhodes said: "India is an increasingly important market for our cargo business. Hyderabad is one of the major hubs for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals in India, accounting for around one-third of the country’s prescription drug production, so we expect a strong demand for our specialised Pharma LIFT products and services.
"For Bengaluru, we have been seeing increasing demand since we launched our freighter service last August and we believe the time is right for an additional flight each week."
The Hyderabad service will route Hong Kong - Delhi - Bengaluru - Hyderabad - Hong Kong every Thursday, and on a Hong Kong - Chennai - Hyderabad - Hong Kong routeing on Sundays.
The third weekly flight to Bengaluru will operate via Mumbai on Saturdays, in addition to the current flights every Monday and Thursday.
"The launch of these new flights will reinforce Cathay Pacific’s position as one of the biggest air freight operators in India," Rhodes added.
The schedule enhancements will see Cathay Pacific Cargo operating 19 freighter flights a week to five major commercial cities in India: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
>> Cathay Pacific carried 144,140 tonnes of cargo in March, a drop of 10.7 percent on the same month last year. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne-km, fell 2.9 percent.
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