Entering the partnership builds on the agreement signed in 2016 between Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo, with the two airlines cooperating in the areas of sales, pricing, contracts, and the handling of shipments between Hong Kong and Europe.
Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo work closely via their hubs in Hong Kong and Germany, with handling in Hong Kong happening under one roof at the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport.
Under the agreement, the three airlines will work closely on network planning, as well as sales, IT, and ground handling.
The airlines will initially cooperate on traffic from Hong Kong to Zurich and Frankfurt, with traffic to and from Hong Kong and the rest of Europe planned later this year.
Tom Owen, Director Cargo at Cathay Pacific, says, “Cathay Pacific is always looking for more ways to give our cargo customers greater choice and more options for shipments whenever they fly their goods with us. The addition of Swiss WorldCargo’s flights to the already large combined network of Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa will further bring Hong Kong, the world’s busiest air cargo hub, closer to Europe and strengthen one of the world’s great trade lanes.”
Lorenzo Stoll, Head of Cargo at Swiss International Air Lines, adds, “We are very excited to be entering this joint business agreement between Lufthansa Cargo and Cathay Pacific, thanks to which we cannot only strengthen our already close collaboration, but also expand our network offering to our customers, while staying true to our high quality and flexibility.”