Maintains a Full Freighter Schedule
Cathay Pacific's all-cargo freighter schedule has
been unaffected by the disruptions in travel patterns resulting
from the conflict in the Middle East and the outbreak of atypical
pneumonia.
Cathay Pacific Cargo is currently operating a full freighter
schedule world-wide and maintaining passenger flights across its
whole network, except to Kuala Lumpur. Passenger flights to the
Malaysian capital and Penang were suspended following that
country's decision to impose stringent visa requirements on Hong
Kong and Canadian visitors. However, freighter services to Penang
continue as normal.
Passenger Schedule Reduced
In response to the recent significant downturn in air travel to
and from Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific has reduced its normal passenger
schedule by 42%. The cancellation of passenger flights has had
little impact on cargo, however, and freight carried in the
belly-holds of passenger flights is still a major operation. Before
any passenger flight is canceled the cargo contribution of that
flight is taken into full consideration.
The airline is striving to meet the needs of the cargo community
during this difficult time, particularly in Hong Kong. Cathay
Pacific's loss of cargo capacity due to the cancellation of
passenger flights has been limited to around 15%. There is
currently no cargo backlog at terminal operators and there have
been no reports of cargo disruption at Hong Kong International
Airport.
Freighters Coming Out of Mothballs
To compensate for any loss of cargo capacity
resulting from the cancellation of passenger flights, Cathay
Pacific is bringing back into service some of the the freighter
aircraft that were parked after the post-911 downturn. Also, in
order to meet market demand, the airline has newly launched twice
weekly freighter service between Hong Kong and Singapore.
Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Kenny Tang said: "Even
though the current difficult situation has caused Cathay Pacific to
take a number of contingency measures, including cuts in scheduled
passenger services, the airline is firmly committed to maintaining
its network and providing scheduled cargo services."
Mr. Tang said the cargo business has now entered the second
quarter, which, traditionally, is a quieter season. "We expect any
impact should be manageable but we will keep monitoring the
situation and make adjustments accordingly," he said.
From the U.S., Cathay Pacific operates a six times weekly
freighter service from Los Angeles, Chicago and New York to Hong
Kong and a three times weekly freighter service between San
Francisco and Hong Kong.