Cathay’s first freighter to Mexico

CATHAY Pacific Airways is launching its first ever destination in Latin America with a new scheduled, twice-weekly B747-8 freighter service to Guadalajara, Mexico.

It will cater for anticipated high volumes of auto parts, electronics, garments and perishables coming out of Mexico’s second city, says a spokesperson.

It also means Cathay will be the first and only airline operating a freighter service directly linking Hong Kong with Mexico.

The new freighter destination will provide shippers with greater choice and more flexibility when connecting to Cathay’s international cargo network through its Hong Kong hub.

Ivan Chu, Cathay’s chief operating officer, says: “This is the first such freighter service between Hong Kong and Mexico and is a very important step in bringing two such vibrant economies closer together.

“With growing demand for direct cargo services between Asia and Mexico, our new freighter service will help to establish a very important trade lane between the two regions. At the same time, it will help to further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s busiest international airfreight gateways.”

Cathay Pacific currently operates cargo services to 10 destinations in North America and flies to a total of 43 freighter destinations around the world.

Recent new additions to the carrier’s freighter network included Zhengzhou, Hyderabad and Colombo in 2012.

The airline recently took delivery of its ninth B747-8F, with three more to be delivered later in the year.