Cathay Pacific moves its freighter operations to Al Maktoum International

Cathay Pacific announced today that it will move its freighter operations from Dubai International to Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC) from 01 February 2014.

Dubai is Cathay Pacific’s transit hub for its European destinations including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Paris and Milan. The airline currently operates 7 weekly freighter services and 14 weekly passenger services in Dubai. While the freighter operation will move to DWC next year, the passenger operations will remain at Dubai International.

Cathay Pacific Country Manager for UAE and Qatar, Brian Yuen said: “Dubai is an important market and a major transit point for Cathay Pacific. Delivering service and operational excellence to our customers has been the core of our business for decades. DWC is designed to support logistics well into the future and we believe the move will better serve us and bring our service level to a new high.”

Describing Cathay Pacific’s move as a significant development for the new facility, Helen Woodrow, VP of Forecasting & Research at Dubai Airports, said: “As an upcoming cargo hub located at the heart of a unique development and connected to the Jebel Ali Freezone and Jebel Ali Port, Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central offers many advantages for cargo operators. It’s a win-win proposition for the airline and the airport.”

Cathay Pacific Airways is one of the world’s leading international air cargo carriers. It flies to a total of 43 freighter destinations around the world with a fleet of 24 Boeing 747 freighters. The group is committed to expanding its freighter network and has recently launched new scheduled freighter services to Guadalajara, Mexico.

Early this year, Cathay Pacific opened its new Cargo Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). It is one of the biggest and most sophisticated terminals in the world with state-of-the-art facilities and is setting new standards in operational efficiency and environmental design. It has been designed for an annual air cargo throughput capacity of 2.6 million tonnes.