Lufthansa Cargo and Cathay Pacific Cargo now under one roof for Hong Kong ground handling

As a key milestone step of the joint business agreement (JBA) between Lufthansa Cargo and Cathay Pacific Cargo, which was announced in May, Europe’s largest air cargo carrier has moved its local freight handling into the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal (CPCT) in Hong Kong.

The move, which took effect on 1 October, benefits customers of both carriers, with one single location for export drop-off and import delivery arrangements.

As part of the JBA, both cargo carriers are working closely together on network planning, as well as sales, IT and service enhancements, and plan to transport the first shipment under the cooperation framework from 1 February 2017 – initially from Hong Kong to Europe. The ability to also book eastbound shipments from Europe to Hong Kong will then follow in 2018. 

“We are very pleased to share a handling location in Hong Kong. There will be many advantages for our customers and it represents an important milestone for the start of our partnership at the beginning of the year,” said Peter Gerber, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo. “The teams of both airlines can now work on the optimal coordination of their handling processes.”

Simon Large, Director Cargo at Cathay Pacific, said: “Bringing Hong Kong, the world’s busiest international air cargo hub closer to Europe, and thereby strengthening one of the world’s great trade lanes is what our cooperation is all about. Lufthansa Cargo’s move into the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal is an important first step. Thanks to the strengths of our respective networks, our customers will soon benefit from more direct connections, greater flexibility and time savings.”

The joint activities will be carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws, including the competition rules of the European Union and Hong Kong. 

Cathay Pacific Cargo

Cathay Pacific Cargo is the leading air cargo carrier in Asia with its home base in Hong Kong. The company currently operates freighter services to 46 destinations and also carries freight in the bellies of its 140-plus passenger aircraft that serve a growing global network. The company is going through a brand refresh with new livery to symbolize continuously efforts to deliver excellent service to our customers. The new livery will be progressively introduced onto all the aircraft in both its passenger and freighter fleets.

Lufthansa Cargo AG

Lufthansa Cargo ranks among the world’s leading air freight carriers. In the 2015 business year, the airline transported around 1.6 million tonnes of freight and mail and sold 8.4 billion revenue tonne-kilometres. The company currently employs about 4,600 people worldwide. Lufthansa Cargo focuses on the airport-to-airport business. The cargo carrier serves around 300 destinations in more than 100 countries with its own fleet of freighters, the belly capacities of passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, and an extensive road feeder service network. The bulk of the cargo business is routed through Frankfurt Airport. Lufthansa Cargo is a wholly owned Lufthansa subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.