{"id":75052,"date":"2026-02-03T12:25:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/888998275"},"modified":"2026-02-03T12:25:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:25:38","slug":"airlines-cathay-cargo-looks-forward-to-a350fs-and-perishables-growth-cathay-cargo-is-looking-forward-to-growing-its-capacity-witha-airbus-a350-freighters-as-well-asa-developinga-itsa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/03\/airlines-cathay-cargo-looks-forward-to-a350fs-and-perishables-growth-cathay-cargo-is-looking-forward-to-growing-its-capacity-witha-airbus-a350-freighters-as-well-asa-developinga-itsa\/","title":{"rendered":"Airlines Cathay Cargo looks forward to A350Fs and perishables growth Cathay Cargo is looking forward to growing its capacity with\u00c2\u00a0Airbus A350 freighters as well as\u00c2\u00a0developing\u00c2\u00a0its\u00c2\u00a0perishables business. 3 February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cathay Cargo is looking forward to growing its capacity with Airbus A350 freighters as well as developing its perishables business.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hong Kong-based cargo arm of Cathay Pacific benefits from ample belly capacity in its fleet, with more passenger aircraft due to arrive this year, but has more limited freighter capacity. Of 179 own-controlled aircraft in total, 20 are freighters, all Boeing 747Fs.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the additional capacity from the six A350Fs ordered from Airbus in December 2023, alongside rights for 20 more units, will provide vital support on busy routes out of Hong Kong, explains James Evans, general manager, Cargo Commercial Cathay Cargo.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve\u202fgot huge capacity in our bellies, but we\u2019ve\u202fonly got 20 freighters,\u201d points out Evans.<\/p>\n

The A350F was a logical choice for Cathay. The carrier already has 47 A350s of the passenger type.<\/p>\n

The arrival of the A350Fs will be a welcome step up in terms of modernisation.<\/p>\n

Cathay\u2019s six 747-400ERFs are all owned and have an average age of 14.5 years, while its 747-8Fs have an average age of 10.4 years.<\/p>\n

The 747-400s will be nearing 20 years of age when deliveries of the A350Fs, already pushed back, are due to start.<\/p>\n

The A350Fs will offer a payload capacity of up to 111 tonnes and a range of 4,700 nautical miles,\u202fas well as up to 40% lower fuel burn and CO\u2082 emissions\u202fcompared to older in-service freighters.<\/p>\n

However, Cathay\u2019s first freighter variant won\u2019t be delivered until at least 2028, with deliveries due to continue through 2029.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of our freighter capacity, we\u2019ve\u202fgot a steady state, or a pinch from now until deliveries begin,\u201d says Evans.<\/p>\n

While there has been speculation about a widebody cargo capacity shortage stemming from supply chain parts shortages, feedstock shortages for conversions and delays to new generation aircraft entering the market, Cathay has no current plans to lease freighters ahead of the A350F\u2019s entry into market.<\/p>\n

But the airline hasn\u2019t completely ruled out adding capacity as a stopgap, should the need arise, says Evans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d\u202falways be on the lookout for opportunities like that, but\u202fright now, our focus is on getting ready for\u202fthe A350 freighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re\u202falways keeping\u202fa close eye on how the market is changing. But ACMI rates have been quite high and our focus is very much on optimising\u202fthe capacity and network\u202fwe\u2019ve\u202fgot.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cWe are looking at the 2030 horizon now as part of the next\u202ffive-year\u202fplan, and obviously those\u202fA350Fs\u202fare a big part of that, and they are\u202fa\u202fgrowth\u202faircraft. And then \u202fwe\u2019ll\u202fneed to see how we can plan our capacity needs into\u202fthe next decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong GBA demand<\/h2>\n

Cathay is well used to efficiently managing capacity. Six years ago, operations were curtailed by government-imposed pandemic lockdown and quarantine restrictions that severely restricted passenger flights and belly capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cPassenger capacity was down to 2% for quite some time. Our freighters were the workhorses, and we were operating cargo-only passenger flights,\u201d recalls Evans.<\/p>\n

In the following years, the airline has gone from strength to strength.<\/p>\n

Cathay Cargo\u2019s 2025 volumes were up 9.4% year on year as it benefited from solid demand for specialist cargo handling throughout the year, as well as a stronger than expected peak season.<\/p>\n

According to Evans, Cathay Cargo is seeing healthy demand out of its home hub at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).<\/p>\n

The airport is a regional transhipment hub and air logistics gateway to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and strong production and export demand will see Cathay\u2019s home market continue to grow, says Evans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are huge\u202fvolumes\u202fand business out of the Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong sits at the heart of that,\u201d says Evans.<\/p>\n

Cathay Cargo is well positioned to benefit as its current passenger and freighter fleet gives it between\u202f 25%\u202fto 30% of the total capacity share out of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

The airline also benefits from Hong Kong\u2019s role as a transit hub for air cargo out of Southeast Asia, which is seeing increased production and strong air cargo capacity demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been double-digit growth out of Southeast Asia and\u202fwe\u2019ve\u202fbeen beneficiaries of that as well,\u201d says Evans.<\/p>\n

Demand out of Hong Kong, the GBA and Southeast Asia combined has helped Cathay maintain high freighter load factors to the Americas, including Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur capacity to the Americas has held pretty consistent,\u201d confirms Evans.<\/p>\n

He points out that air cargo demand can quickly move from area to area, so agility is needed but Cathay is always prepared to shift its capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith planes,\u202f you\u2019re\u202flucky that you can redeploy to where the capacity is needed. You need to be able to be in a position to pivot and adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, Hanoi capacity was increased in the fourth quarter and flights to Madrid also took place during the peak season.<\/p>\n

But, says Evans: \u201cWe will continue to operate the vast majority of our freighter capacity into the Americas. We operate anywhere between 33 to 38 flights a week and sometimes increase that in the peak season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also look at how we can optimise the fleet and complement flights with more network support feeding on to those lanes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stability of capacity to the US is an interesting topic, given the reduced e-commerce demand on the transpacific trade lane last year after the US decision to end the de minimis exemption.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the initial reduction in e-commerce volumes from Asia to the US, Evans says that while Cathay did \u201chave a hit on the Americas lane\u201d, as an airline Cathay saw plenty of business on its Asia-Europe and Asia-Middle East routes and was able to move capacity accordingly.<\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cE-commerce\u202fdoesn\u2019t\u202fonly go to North America, it goes to the Middle East and Europe.\u202fWe\u2019ve\u202fseen growth in e-commerce as a result of where platforms are trying to grow their businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, Asia-US e-commerce trade has now largely recovered, and e-commerce is just one commodity within a wide range of goods transported by Cathay Cargo.<\/p>\n

Cathay Cargo\u2019s fresh service will continue to be developed to grow perishables business supported by the Air-Land Fresh Lane, opened last year, to improve the efficiency of moving goods across the Hong Kong\u2013Zhuhai\u2013Macao Bridge (HZMB).<\/p>\n

In fact, Cathay was the first airline to utilise the lane, developed by the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong SAR to facilitate the efficient cross-border movement of perishable goods.<\/p>\n

The initiative allows fruit and live or chilled seafood arriving at HKG to be transported seamlessly into the GBA via temperature-controlled trucks equipped with GPS tracking and accredited e-locks, all under a single air waybill.<\/p>\n

Fresh is one vertical in particular where Cathay Cargo is confident there will be volume growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see the air-land, fresh lane out of Hong Kong into the GBA as a great opportunity. The GBA is a big consumption market,\u201d Evans says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very bullish on those opportunities and glad that we\u2019ve hit these milestones with working with the key stakeholders, including Hong Kong Airport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last September, Cathay completed trial shipments of live lobsters and geoducks, a type of shellfish.<\/p>\n

Alongside this, Cathay is refining terminal handling, trucking and logistics integration, cross-border arrangements and end-to-end documentation.<\/p>\n

It is also building intermodal network capacity through trucking into and out of the GBA.<\/p>\n

This year, Evans says: \u201cThe Hong Kong, GBA home market is really important. Building on these trials and growing intermodal connectivity into and out of the GBA is a big focus for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cathy Cargo has also seen \u201csignificant tonnage growth in expert and pharma\u201d and will continue to look at those opportunities, says Evans.<\/p>\n

Digitalisation propels growth<\/h2>\n

Digitalisation will also be essential to support the development of intermodal services for fresh products, as well as other specialist business.<\/p>\n

Last month was the implementation deadline for IATA\u2019s ONE Record, designed to make shipment information relevant to stakeholders visible and accessible before, during and after the transport process.<\/p>\n

In December 2024, Cathay Cargo became the first carrier to adopt the IATA ONE Record data protocol in some of its operations with forwarders.<\/p>\n

The forwarders started exchanging electronic air waybill (eAWB) and shipment status information with Cathay Cargo using an application programme interface (API) designed to ONE Record data protocols.<\/p>\n

Then, in January 2025, Sinotrans Hong Kong Air Transportation Development became the first Hong Kong forwarder to submit eAWB information and was able to review shipment information from Cathay Cargo using ONE Record data protocols.<\/p>\n

In October last year, Cathay Cargo also began using the IATA ONE Record data protocol to offer real-time customs clearance updates for customers, another first for the industry and an important step in reducing reliance on manual ground handling updates and minimising congestion.<\/p>\n

The service enables customs status updates from authorities, including Europe (ICS2 Import Control System), the US, Canada and UAE.<\/p>\n

Initially, the service was available to Cathay Cargo customers subscribed to the EzyCargo platform or those with ONE Record API links, but it is being rolled out for other customers this year.<\/p>\n

Overall, Evans is confident in its capacity offering and business growth in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remain positive for next year, partly because of the scale of the capacity we have and the location and our ability to pivot quite quickly, and the indicators from our big customers about what BSA (block space agreement) levels they they\u2019re looking at,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cCathay Cargo\u2019s carrying capacity is going to grow in the 5-7% range. So not the same steep growth curve that we\u2019ve seen in previous years as we came out of the pandemic, but there\u2019s still good capacity growth. That\u2019s mainly through the passenger bellies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat gives us lots of network opportunities to feed on, and so we\u2019re really looking at optimising our capacity.<\/p>\n