Cathay Cargo welcomed its first freighter flight to Ho Chi Minh City on April 4, 2024, after four years, following its suspension in December 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The weekly flight, CX3148, will operate from Ho Chi Minh City every Thursday, with the freighter first originating from Hong Kong to Hanoi, then routing to Ho Chi Minh City before returning to Hong Kong.
In the announcement, Cathay noted that this will supplement its current six freighter flights per week from Hanoi to Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific has been operating passenger services between Vietnam and Hong Kong since 1949, with the very first flight carrying a significant amount of cargo, including diplomatic mail, seafood and vegetables.
Cathay Cargo commenced full freighter services from Ho Chi Minh City and then Hanoi in March 2008.
In 2023, Cathay Cargo shipped an average of almost 2,000 tonnes of cargo from Vietnam every month, of which about 600 tonnes were carried on Cathay Pacific’s twice-daily passenger flights from Ho Chi Minh City.
These comprised mainly garments, footwear, fruits, and live and frozen seafood, headed to key destinations such as Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, North East Asia, Australia and North America.
In addition to greater cargo capacity, the resumption of the freighter service will give shippers in Ho Chi Minh City access to Cathay Cargo's main-deck solutions, namely Cathay Exper for odd-sized shipments and freight designated as Cargo-Aircraft-Only, such as certain dangerous goods.
"We are very excited to welcome our freighter back to Ho Chi Minh City again. With factory activities resuming and air cargo demand picking up, it is timely for us to resume our freighter service from the economic heart of Vietnam," said Ashish Kapur, regional head of cargo, Southeast Asia.
"Together with our existing twice daily passenger flights serving the city, the addition of our freighter service will give local businesses more choices, especially in terms of our specialised solutions that can be tailored to suit their needs. Whether it is the latest fashion wear from the factories, fresh dragon fruit from the farms or live seafood from the ocean, we are committed to partnering with them on their journey to bring the best of Vietnam to Hong Kong and the rest of the world," he added.
Nicolas Masse, country manager for Vietnam and Cambodia, said, "Our dedicated team in Ho Chi Minh City has been eagerly awaiting the resumption of our freighter service. We have been working hard to ensure we are operationally ready on the ground and able to respond quickly to our customer's needs, whatever they may be."
Cathay Cargo continues to invest in building its air-cargo offering to set it and the Hong Kong international aviation hub apart from competitors.
Its recent investments include Ultra Track, a next-generation track-and-trace tool; putting purchase and confirmation into customers' hands with Click & Ship; revamping the range of specialist handling solutions; infrastructural upgrades, including the Pharma Handling Centre at the Cathay Cargo Terminal; and digitalising processes and using data to benchmark and measure performance.
