Cathay Pacific starts intermodal services at HKIA

The carrier signed an agreement to operate with the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific Cargo is offering upstream sea-air intermodal export cargo handling between the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and Hong Kong as the international shipping service has become the first carrier to have its shipments accepted and transported to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) by ship for outbound airfreight.

This is after Cathay Pacific Services Ltd. (CPSL) signed an agreement with the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) to operate inside the HKIA Logistics Park in Dongguan, Guangdong Province.

With the signing of the agreement between the two parties, shipments from Cathay Pacific Cargo can be security scanned, built up, and accepted for the flight within the logistics park before being loaded inside a ship en route to a secured area within HKIA.

From there, several unit load devices (ULDs) and pallets containing the shipments will be towed straight to a waiting aircraft.

The agreement also allowed CPSL to establish its own upstream bonded facility – the Cathay Cargo Terminal Dongguan – located at the city’s Bestar Logistics Center.

For CPSL COO, Mark Watts, being the first cargo terminal operator (CTO) to operate within the HKIA Logistics Park opened opportunities for them to extend their air cargo handling services to the GBA.

“We are able to offer more choice and more value-added services for our customers, as part of our vision to become the world’s most customer-centric air cargo terminal operator,” Watts said.

According to Cathay Pacific Director for Cargo, Tom Owen, they are looking forward to offering new solutions for Hong Kong’s logistics industry and developing exports from – and then in the coming months, imports to – the GBA.

“We are delighted to join hands with AAHK to promote the economic growth of Hong Kong and the region, while further strengthening HKIA’s status as an international aviation hub by using this first and only upstream facility of its kind,” Owen said.