Cathay Pacific Cargo said it is launching Click & Ship, its new digital booking platform offering its registered customers "an intuitive, always-on booking interface."

The Hong Kong-based carrier said Click & Ship will be progressively launched across its network starting this month.

"Our customers have been telling us that they want a quicker and more efficient way to book shipments at any time," said Tom Owen, Cathay Pacific Director Cargo.

"We listened. We're rolling out Click & Ship progressively across our network and we aim to make real-time flight schedules, space availability, allotments, and updated rate information available on www.cathaypacificcargo.com and www.ezycargo.com for all Cathay Pacific Cargo customers over the next year."

Cathay pointed out that over the past 20 years, the air cargo industry has continued to rely on manual processes and email confirmation for shipment bookings, while the passenger airline industry has evolved to enable customers to book tickets and other services online.

Cathay Pacific said the launch of Click & Ship marks a "bold leap" forward in the end-to-end digitalisation of air cargo.

"Click & Ship will transform the cargo booking experience through a streamlined process and fast, intuitive interface that mimics the passenger ticket-booking experience. It gives our customers visibility of price and inventory and means registered agents can book shipments at their convenience with auto-confirmation," Owen said.