Cathay Pacific’s Indian expansion

CATHAY Pacific is planning to build on its cargo revenue from India with the addition of two more airports in its network.

The carrier is likely to launch flights to Ahmedabad and Hyderabad alongside current routes Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Of Cathay Pacific Airways’ total revenue in India, cargo contributes 28 per cent. Services run from Chennai to Frankfurt (Germany) twice a week, Bangalore to Hong Kong (China) daily and Delhi to Zaragoza (Spain) as well as Amsterdam (the Netherlands).

“With all these additions we are now at 33 departures a week from India using four metros,” Ashish Kapur, regional cargo manager – South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Cathay Pacific Airways, comments. “India is a very important market for us. Apart from strengthening the existing routes and ports we are studying various routes at this moment for a possible launch in 2012.”

In 2011, the cargo division saw an increase of 18 per cent with a five per cent leap in load factors. The airline group carried over 50,000 metric tonnes in both passenger and cargo flights from India in 2011.

“2012 is expected to be one of the most challenging years. European debt crisis, slowdown in the US and other parts of the world is accounting for lower volumes and pressure on yields,” Kapur adds. “However, we will continue to focus on our service, our product range and our comprehensive network.”