Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific places order for 6 Airbus A350 freighters

Cathay Pacific Airways announced Friday it has placed an order for six Airbus A350 freighter aircraft, providing the aerospace manufacturer a boost after a quiet year for purchases of cargo jets and getting the better of Boeing.

Airbus will begin deliveries of the large, long-haul freighter to Cathay Cargo in 2027. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has options for 20 additional aircraft.

Cathay Pacific’s freighter fleet is still relatively young and executives have previously said additional...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-places-order-for-6-airbus-a350-freighters

Cathay Pacific cargo boosted by rehabilitation of passenger network

Cathay Pacific Airways was the first airline to succumb to coronavirus flying restrictions in 2020 and one of the last ones to come out. Finally unshackled, the Hong Kong-based airline is quickly ramping up operations and restoring international passenger destinations, which is providing a big boost to the cargo business.

Until late October, Cathay Pacific was operating with 3% of its pre-pandemic passenger capacity. Major U.S. carriers, by comparison, had more than 90% of seats restored then...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-cargo-boosted-by-rehabilitation-of-passenger-network

Cathay Pacific Cargo unleashed 

Cathay Pacific Airways is moving rapidly to reclaim its position among the top cargo carriers after being shackled for three years by ultra-restrictive COVID health policies in Hong Kong and China.

Rebuilding the passenger network after China dropped efforts to stamp out the coronavirus at all costs will significantly increase the cargo division’s ability to transport shipments around the world. Equally beneficial is the reopening of the border between China and Hong Kong and lifting of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-cargo-unleashed

Cathay Pacific’s November cargo traffic shrinks on weak China exports

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific saw cargo volumes significantly contract in November, reflecting the degree to which the normal peak shipping season in Asia has failed to materialize this year and the airline’s struggle to overcome strict COVID-19 restrictions in Hong Kong and China.

The ninth-largest cargo carrier by volume reported Tuesday that demand fell 6% from October. The slowdown resembles what is happening in the broader market, especially for East Asia to the U.S. and Europe. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacifics-november-cargo-traffic-shrinks-on-weak-china-exports

Cathay Pacific cargo traffic shrinks 25% in October

Cargo volumes at Cathay Pacific in October continued a pattern of double-digit contraction as strict China COVID policies hamper flight operations and the traditional fall surge in airfreight activity ahead of the holidays failed to materialize.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific, a major combination carrier with a fleet of 20 Boeing 747 freighters, has tumbled from the fifth- to the ninth-largest cargo carrier in the world in the past year, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Ca...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-cargo-traffic-shrinks-25-in-october

Airlines fill less cargo space as consumer spending, trade sag

Photo taken between air cargo containers on the tarmac looking at side of a jetliner with containers being lifted into hold.

Prospects for a fourth-quarter bounce in air cargo business as retailers stock up for the holidays are dim, the culmination of a gradual slowdown in shipment traffic and costs since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March.

And worsening macroeconomic conditions suggest the air logistics sector could face a darker 12 to 18 months after peaking a year ago. Forty-five percent of customers polled last week during a webinar hosted by logistics specialist Flexport said they intend to ship less by air in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/airlines-fill-less-cargo-space-as-consumer-spending-trade-fall

Cathay Pacific lowers cargo expectations for holiday shipping season

A Cathay Pacific cargo jet sprays water as it lands on a wet runway.

Cathay Pacific is reportedly in discussions with Boeing and Airbus about a potential order for up to six next-generation freighters to expand and replenish its fleet of 20 747 cargo jets while telegraphing it expects the peak holiday shipping season to be much quieter than in 2021, or some other years.

Cathay Pacific is considering the new Boeing 777-8 freighter and the Airbus A350, sources told the Bloomberg News last week. Conversion of existing Boeing 777 passenger jets is also on the table,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-lowers-cargo-expectations-for-holiday-shipping-season

Cathay Pacific predicts weak peak for cargo as China output slumps

Front end of a large Cathay Pacific Cargo jet in front of the cargo terminal.

Cathay Pacific has fully rebuilt its freighter schedule in time for the peak shipping season, but executives signaled Thursday that demand will be softer this year because of inflation and ongoing supply chain disruptions. 

The prediction came as an unprecedented heat wave and another round of COVID lockdowns in a major city further constrained production at Chinese factories.

The busy period for air shipments traditionally runs from late September until early December as stores bring in orders...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-predicts-weak-peak-for-cargo-as-china-output-slumps

Typhoon pauses air, ocean freight in Hong Kong, South China

A plane comes in for a landing in Hong Kong with ocean view beyond runway.

Strong winds and heavy rain from a typhoon barreling through the South China Sea is expected to disrupt air and ocean shipments, as well as local freight delivery, during the next 24 to 48 hours.

The Hong Kong Observatory on Wednesday evening issued a Category 8 typhoon warning for Tropical Storm Ma-on, the third highest alert under the city’s weather system.

At 11 p.m. Hong Kong time, the storm system was centered about 131 miles south of Hong Kong, with sustained maximum winds of nearly 70 mph....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/typhoon-pauses-air-ocean-freight-in-hong-kong-south-china

Cathay Pacific freighter fleet overcomes ‘double hell’ of July typhoons

A white Cathay Pacific Cargo jumbo jet with teal tail viewed from below against blue sky as it comes in for a landing.

Cathay Pacific’s freighter fleet is finally back to full capacity after a difficult first half during which the carrier was repeatedly knocked off course trying to recover from devastating COVID-related losses.

The freighter division will be ready for the annual peak-season surge this fall, and partial restoration of passenger capacity to a quarter of pre-pandemic levels will bring overall cargo capacity to 65% by year’s end, various executives said recently.

Getting to this point has not been...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-freighter-fleet-overcomes-double-hell-of-july-typhoons

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