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.

FMI: www.cathaypacific.com