Cathay Cargo is underscoring the growing importance of Anchorage as a critical transpacific hub, as surging e‑commerce volumes reshape long‑haul freighter operations across the Americas.
The Alaskan city has quietly become the carrier's second‑busiest port after Hong Kong, reflecting its unique position in global cargo flows and its operational necessity for fully laden freighters crossing the Pacific.
Anchorage's Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is no ordinary stopover. It ranks as the second‑busiest cargo hub in the United States, behind only Memphis, and fourth globally in the latest Airports Council International (ACI) rankings.
The airport markets itself as the midpoint between New York and Tokyo, sitting within 9.5 hours of "90% of the industrialised world." That geography translates into extraordinary activity: cargo flights outnumber passenger services, and in 2023 the airport handled 50,000 wide‑ and narrow‑body cargo movements, averaging 138 wide‑body freighter landings per day.
Cathay Cargo and Engineering teams typically turn around 10 to 15 of those aircraft.
For Cathay Cargo, Anchorage is far more than a refuelling stop. It is the operational hinge that keeps its transpacific network running at full efficiency.
"Anchorage is vital to our cargo operations in the Americas, particularly in recent times with the e‑commerce boom," says Vice‑President Cargo Americas Fred Ruggiero.
Fully loaded freighters travelling between Hong Kong and Cathay's stations across the Americas — stretching as far as Miami and Mexico — require a technical stop to maximise payload.
Without Anchorage, Ruggiero notes, aircraft would be forced to operate with reduced loads, a costly compromise in a market driven by high‑volume, fast‑moving e‑commerce shipments.
The airport's role as a redistribution point for integrators such as UPS further amplifies its importance.
Packages arriving from Asia are broken down and fed into the U.S. domestic network, reinforcing Anchorage's position as a logistics crossroads — a modern‑day counterpart to its long history as a trading centre for Indigenous communities long before Captain James Cook charted the inlet that now bears his name.
The eight‑person Cathay Cargo team in Anchorage is led by Cargo Services Manager Tammy Liftee, who describes the group's responsibilities during routine transits.
"If it's just a regular transit flight – a gas and go – the team will check the main deck, ensure all the locks are engaged and that everything's secured, that nothing has shifted or is leaning," she says. "They'll coordinate with the catering company and our ground handling agent to make sure the paperwork and crew catering is on time. They’ll check with the flight crew to make sure that they have everything they need and confirm the load sheet with them."
But Anchorage rarely stays "routine" for long. Cathay Cargo said winter brings unpredictable weather, mechanical issues, and the occasional AOG (aircraft on ground) event — all of which can upend normal operations. When that happens, cargo may need to be transferred to another aircraft, engineering teams dispatched, and schedules reworked.
Diversions add another layer of complexity, sometimes requiring staff to travel to Fairbanks to meet an aircraft that couldn't reach Anchorage. These situations demand a level of adaptability that has become second nature to the team.
Ruggiero acknowledges the realities of the job. "Our team in Anchorage are Cathay Cargo's unsung heroes. This is a group of individuals who are on call 24‑7, ensuring our freighters land, refuel and take off without incident – often for three or four months in sub‑zero temperatures, and in winds that feel like you’re being hit with needles."
Despite its strategic weight, Anchorage retains the quirks of a remote outpost.
Its domestic passenger terminal bustles in summer, but international flights are sparse, and the smaller international terminal resembles a time capsule, complete with taxidermy displays and abandoned check‑in counters from a bygone era when long‑range passenger jets routinely stopped to refuel.
Today, only the occasional diversion brings a Cathay passenger aircraft through, leaving the cargo team to manage everything from freighter turnarounds to unexpected hotel arrangements for stranded travellers.
The environment adds another layer of challenge. Summers are mild and bright, but winters are harsh, dark, and unforgiving, with heavy snowfall and biting winds sweeping across the exposed ramp where cargo teams work.
Yet, the Hong Kong carrier noted that Anchorage remains the heartbeat of its cargo operations in the Americas.
As e‑commerce continues to accelerate transpacific demand, the city's role is only set to deepen, not as a remote outpost but as a pivotal link in the global supply chain.
