Lufthansa Cargo has strengthened its joint business agreement with Cathay Pacific Cargo by moving its freight handling in Hong Kong into the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal.

“We are very pleased to share a handling location in Hong Kong,” said Peter Gerber, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo. “There will be many advantages for our customers and it represents an important milestone for the start of our partnership at the beginning of the year. The teams of both airlines can now work on the optimal coordination of their handling processes.”

The move results in a single location for export drop-off and import delivery arrangements.

“Bringing Hong Kong, the world’s busiest international air cargo hub, closer to Europe, and thereby strengthening one of the world’s great trade lanes is what our cooperation is all about,” said Simon Large, director of cargo at Cathay Pacific. “Lufthansa Cargo’s move into the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal is an important first step. Thanks to the strengths of our respective networks, our customers will soon benefit from more direct connections, greater flexibility and time savings.”

The two carriers signed a joint business agreement in May 2016 covering network planning, sales and IT and service enhancements. The first shipment under the cooperation framework is scheduled to be transported in February 2017, according to Lufthansa.