OREANDA-NEWS. April 11, 2012. Cathay Pacific Airways announced the launch of a new twice-weekly freighter service to Zhengzhou, the capital city and principal commercial hub of Henan Province in Central China, reported the press-centre of Cathay Pacific.

The latest destination in the Cathay Pacific freighter network will boost further the airline’s presence as a cargo carrier in Mainland China following the launch of services to Chengdu and Chongqing in Western China in the second half of 2011.

Cathay Pacific Director Cargo Nick Rhodes said: “We see great business potential in Zhengzhou which is one of the fastest-growing centres for electronics manufacturing in the Mainland and is well-connected to a wide catchment area in Henan. Cathay Pacific’s new freighter service will offer shippers seamless connections to our extensive global network through the Hong Kong hub, helping to connect Zhengzhou to the world.”

The Zhengzhou service will be operated by a Boeing 747 freighter and will follow a Hong Kong-Shanghai-Zhengzhou-Hong Kong routing.

Cathay Pacific is committed to expanding its freighter network and has been actively launching new destinations despite the recent softening of demand in the global airfreight industry. In addition to launching freighter services to Mainland China, Cathay Pacific added services to Bengaluru in India and Zaragoza in Spain last year.

Mr Rhodes added: “We are confident about the long-term success of Cathay Pacific’s cargo business and about Hong Kong’s future as an international air cargo hub. That’s why, in addition to launching new destinations, we are investing heavily in new freighters and also building our own HKD 5.7 billion cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport which is on schedule to begin operations in early 2013.”