Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways is to strengthen its cargo presence in Canada with the introduction of a new freighter service to Calgary. The new twice weekly Boeing 747-8F will commence from October 17, 2014, subject to government approval.

The new service will further strengthen the airline’s presence in Canada and will grow its freighter destinations in North America to 14. The flight will operate from New York and continue direct to Hong Kong every Tuesday and Friday, routing Hong Kong - Anchorage-New York – Calgary - Hong Kong. The Friday rotation will include an additional Columbus tag.

“We are excited about strengthening our already extensive freighter network in North America and believe this new service to Calgary will further facilitate the efficient flow of goods between Canada and Asia,” said James Woodrow, director cargo, Cathay Pacific Airways.

The carrier says the service will offer customers more choice and greater flexibility when transporting commodities to and from Asia and expects the flights to carry machinery and perishables direct from Calgary to Hong Kong to connect with Cathay Pacific’s extensive Asian network.

Calgary Airport Authority has invested extensively in Calgary’s cargo infrastructure over the last 15 years, strategically positioning the airport for airlines such as Cathay Pacific to enter into Calgary’s market, meeting a vision of linking Alberta’s businesses to Asia. Calgary International Airport is now one of only two Canadian airports with non-stop freighter services to Europe and Asia.

“We will be operating our largest and most technologically advanced commercial freighter, the Boeing 747-8F, into Calgary and connecting freight through our new cargo terminal in Hong Kong onto our wider Asian network,” said Woodrow.

“We will now be able to provide one of the fastest and most convenient ways to move time-sensitive freight from the Central Canada region, cutting down on time spent in transit, resulting in reduced handling costs for our customers,” he added.

Cathay Pacific currently operates freighter services to 44 destinations around the world and in June this year the airline boosted its Columbus service from two flights a week to thrice-weekly to meet growing demand in the North American market. The airline now has 13 dedicated Boeing 747-8Fs in its fleet, with one more due for delivery in 2016.

Latest data from The International Air Transport Association (IATA) for global air freight markets shows air cargo growth accelerated in May 2014, with 4.7 per cent growth compared to a year ago. This is up from the 3.8 per cent year-on-year growth recorded in April. The acceleration of growth reflects improved economic conditions and there are indications that world trade and business confidence to be improving after weakness in the first quarter. In particular, Chinese manufacturing activity rebounded in May, with a corresponding rise in export order growth.

“After several months of wavering conditions in the demand environment, the outlook for global air cargo appears to be stabilizing,” said Tony Tyler, director general and chief executive officer, IATA. “That’s good news but the sector still faces an uphill battle to restore competitiveness and increase its share of trade growth.”

Asia-Pacific carriers recorded a strong increase of 5.3 per cent year-on-year in May 2014, according to the IATA data. It is clear that regional trade volumes have picked-up again, and there are signs that the slowdown in the Chinese economy is easing. The statistics shows that capacity grew a little faster than demand, at 6.0 per cent, but the region still has the highest freight load factor (55.5 per cent).