The Hindu Business Line : Cathay Pacific to start new freighters to India

Cathay Pacific will start twice-weekly freighter operations from Hong Kong to Mumbai and Chennai on June 2, according to Mr Rupert Bray, Country Manager India, Nepal and Bangladesh, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.

He said that this would be the first turnaround freighter service operated by the airline into India. The airline would operate on Tuesdays and Fridays with a Boeing 747-200 F freighter.

Currently, the Cathay Pacific freighter services to India include athree-times a week flight to Mumbai, which continues to Dubai and Paris then returns to Hong Kong via Dubai. The three-times a week Delhi service continues to London, and then heads back to Hong Kong via Milan. Mr Bray said that there are plans to add stopovers in Mumbai and Delhi on the return in the future.

The airline is building additional capacity on the India sectors as bilateral trade between India and China is expected to grow, Mr Bray said. Similarly, the number of Indian companies setting up plants in China is also increasing.

The freighters will come in full, as there is a great demand for Chinese made products in India, he said.

Cargo profile

The cargo profile on the inbound would be cell phones, laptops, hi-tech components and computers. On the outbound from Chennai, the cargo will be leather, garments, pharmaceuticals, perishables and spare parts, which are the main export items out of this city.

Hong Kong is also a transit airport offering connections for both passengers and cargo to China and the west coast of the US, Mr Bray said.

On the passenger side, Cathay Pacific is keen to operate to additional Indian destinations as well to augment the existing services to Mumbai and Delhi, Mr Bray said. The southern region has vast potential and a direct connection to Hong Kong would benefit trade and industry.