Cathay starts HK-Zhengzhou freighter service

   Cathay Pacific Airways on Wednesday said it has started a new twice-weekly freighter service to Zhengzhou, the capital city and principal commercial hub of Henan Province in Central China.
   The service is intended to further boost the airline’s cargo profile in inland China, following the launch of services to Chengdu and Chongqing in the second half of 2011.
   The Zhengzhou service will be operated with a Boeing 747 freighter and will follow a Hong Kong-Shanghai-Zhengzhou-Hong Kong routing.
   “We see great business potential in Zhengzhou which is one of the fastest-growing centers for electronics manufacturing in the Mainland and is well-connected to a wide catchment area in Henan,” Cathay Pacific Director Cargo Nick Rhodes said.
   Cathay Pacific said it has been starting new freighter routes despite the recent softening of demand in the global air freight industry. The airline added services to Bengaluru in India and Zaragoza in Spain last year.
   “We are confident about the long-term success of Cathay Pacific’s cargo business and about Hong Kong’s future as an international air cargo hub,” Rhodes said.