OREANDA-NEWS. November 23, 2012. Cathay Pacific Airways announced the launch of a new weekly freighter service to Colombo in Sri Lanka commencing 2 December 2012 (subject to government approval). The new service will expand Cathay Pacific’s cargo presence in the South Asia region and give shippers in Sri Lanka greater choice and flexibility for connecting to the airline’s international cargo network through the Hong Kong hub, reported the press-centre of Cathay Pacific. 

The Colombo freighter service will be operated on a Hong Kong-Chennai-Colombo-Hong Kong routing every Sunday using one of Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 747-400F aircraft and will cater for the huge volumes of garments and perishables bound for the North America, Europe and Asia markets. The airline will become the only carrier to operate the 747-400F out of Colombo, offering more cargo space to meet growing demand.

Cathay Pacific Director Cargo Nick Rhodes said: “Sri Lanka is home to major garment and footwear manufacturers producing goods for well-known international brands, and also has sizeable exports of perishable products including tuna and lobster. We already carry sizeable quantities of freight in the bellies of our daily passenger flights to and from Colombo, but the new freighter service will enable us to better meet the demand for Sri Lankan products in major markets around the world.”

Cathay Pacific is committed to expanding its freighter network and has also added services to Zhengzhou and Hyderabad this year. The airline recently took delivery of its eighth Boeing 747-8F freighter aircraft, with two more to be delivered in 2013.