Cathay strengthens presence in U.S.

The Hong Kong-based airline is expanding its presence in the United States with the addition of a twice-weekly scheduled landing at Oregon’s Portland International Airport.    Cathay Pacific Airways is strengthening its presence in the United States with the addition of a twice-weekly scheduled landing at Oregon’s Portland International Airport, effective Nov. 3.
   Still subject to government approval, Portland will be the Hong Kong-based airline’s 18th cargo station in the Americas, the airline said.
    The new Portland service will operate on a Hong Kong-Anchorage-Los Angeles-Portland-Anchorage-Hong Kong routing every Thursday and Saturday, using Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 747-8 freighters.
   Cathay expects to handle increased volumes of semi-finished footwear and apparel, electronics and perishables from Portland. The airline also considers the Oregon city to be one of the fastest-growing hubs for e-commerce-related shipments in the Pacific Northwest region.
   “Cathay Pacific is in a prime position to link this economic hub of the Pacific Northwest to Hong Kong, one of the world’s key international air freight hubs,” said Philippe Lacamp, senior vice president of the Americas for Cathay Pacific, in a statement.
   “The new Cathay Pacific direct air cargo service from Portland to Asia will not only enhance trade opportunities for companies across the Pacific Northwest, it also will significantly reduce the time it takes to transport our iconic air bags, manufactured at Nike facilities in Oregon and Missouri, to factories in Asia that produce Nike footwear,” said Eric Sprunk, chief operating officer of Nike.