Cathay expects a very busy end of the year, with seasonal demand filling capacity and additional volume from the ongoing surge in e-commerce transport.

Nigel Chynoweth, regional head of cargo, South West Pacific at Cathay, noted that the outlook follows on from a summer that "did not let up," with demand continuing to be fuelled predominantly by e-commerce.

"There seems little doubt now that we will be heading towards a very busy end of year," he said.

Chynoweth noted that last month, Cathay South West Pacific received its first e-commerce charter operated by Air Hong Kong using an A330P2F.

It was Air Hong Kong's first trip to Sydney, its longest charter for Cathay Cargo, and the first time it has received pre-screened and built-up cargo shipped by sea from the Cathay Cargo Terminal in Dongguan.

"While e-commerce makes up the bulk of cargo we receive in the South West Pacific region, what we fill the bellies with for the return trip to Hong Kong bucks another trend and reflects an appreciation for our produce," Cathay's regional head of cargo, South West Pacific, added.

Chynoweth said more than 80% of the shipments use the Cathay Cargo special solutions, compared to the global average of 35% — mostly using Cathay's Fresh solution for shipments of seasonal fruits, live seafood and chilled meat.

"However, there is one lightweight but costly product among that, which is the Australian black truffle, a relatively new export that offers all the flavour and aroma of the famed Périgord truffle to restaurants when out of season in Europe," he added, noting that the transport of this niche product wholly depends on airfreight.

Chynoweth noted that another solution that sees a great deal of use in the region is Cathay Expert — used for cars coming for punishing tests in the outback, oil or mining equipment, or components for the aviation industry.

"After its recent refresh, we look at some of our outsized, super-heavy or ultra-fragile shipments, which Cathay Expert really delivers for our customers," he said, adding that one of those customers is Asok Kumar, global head of airfreight at DB Schenker.

"We speak to him to find out what makes him tick and what he thinks about the peak – spoiler alert, he thinks it will be a busy end to the year too," Chynoweth said.

"We look forward to working together with all our partners as we get ready for a busy final quarter."

Meanwhile, Chynoweth said as an airline group, Cathay is on track to return to pre-pandemic flight levels within the first quarter of next year.

During this time, the Three-Runway System at Hong Kong International Airport will be up and running, enabling Cathay and the Hong Kong International Aviation Hub to continue to grow together.

"As part of that, there was a commitment from the Cathay Group to invest over HK$100 billion to further elevate the customer experience and strengthen the hub, and that will include 30 Airbus A330-900 aircraft to join the existing order pipeline of Boeing 777-9X aircraft and the next-generation A350Fs for Cathay Cargo," Chynoweth added.