HONG KONG's cathay Pacific is ramping-up its freighter flights as more Covid quarantine restrictions are being eased or lifted, reports London's Loadstar.
The city government relaxed some testing requirements for inbound passengers, providing a glimmer of hope for tourism and increased belly capacity for air cargo.
The latest figures from Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), for example, show a 2.8 per cent year-on-year drop in cargo throughput in April, to 375,000 tonnes.
'The decline in cargo throughput was mainly attributed to six per cent year-on-year decreases in both imports and exports, due to insufficient cargo capacity,' said HKIA.
Hong Kong Airlines (HKA) has also been struggling. Earlier this month, the carrier reportedly said the Covid-lockdowns in China had weakened demand for air freight, leading the cash-strapped airline to ask its pilots to go on leave.
One of the airline's cargo flights to Sydney was cut from a daily service to twice a week, according to Bloomberg, because 'cargo is stuck in Shanghai'.
Nevertheless, operating conditions appear to be improving for Cathay Pacific. Frosti Lau, GM for cargo service delivery, said: 'We are actively adding back as many freighter services as possible.
'Already this month the number of transpacific freighter flights has gone up from nine to 15 a week, with an additional service to Europe. There will also be extra capacity drip-feeding in from the passenger fleet as services start to reactivate over the year.'
However, Mr Lau noted, while cargo capacity was increasing, the market recovery was 'not without its challenges.
'The lockdowns are starting to ease in Shanghai, but there has been an impact on both manufacturing output and the supply chain. At one point, Cathay Pacific was the sole airline (bar Chinese mainland carriers) operating at Pudong,' said Mr Lau.
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The city government relaxed some testing requirements for inbound passengers, providing a glimmer of hope for tourism and increased belly capacity for air cargo.
The latest figures from Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), for example, show a 2.8 per cent year-on-year drop in cargo throughput in April, to 375,000 tonnes.
'The decline in cargo throughput was mainly attributed to six per cent year-on-year decreases in both imports and exports, due to insufficient cargo capacity,' said HKIA.
Hong Kong Airlines (HKA) has also been struggling. Earlier this month, the carrier reportedly said the Covid-lockdowns in China had weakened demand for air freight, leading the cash-strapped airline to ask its pilots to go on leave.
One of the airline's cargo flights to Sydney was cut from a daily service to twice a week, according to Bloomberg, because 'cargo is stuck in Shanghai'.
Nevertheless, operating conditions appear to be improving for Cathay Pacific. Frosti Lau, GM for cargo service delivery, said: 'We are actively adding back as many freighter services as possible.
'Already this month the number of transpacific freighter flights has gone up from nine to 15 a week, with an additional service to Europe. There will also be extra capacity drip-feeding in from the passenger fleet as services start to reactivate over the year.'
However, Mr Lau noted, while cargo capacity was increasing, the market recovery was 'not without its challenges.
'The lockdowns are starting to ease in Shanghai, but there has been an impact on both manufacturing output and the supply chain. At one point, Cathay Pacific was the sole airline (bar Chinese mainland carriers) operating at Pudong,' said Mr Lau.
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