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Cathay Pacific Airways Begins Freight Service Three Times a Week
Miami-Dade County, FL -- Officials from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) and Cathay Pacific Airways welcomed the first-ever cargo flight from Hong Kong to Miami, the beginning of three-times-a-week service from the world’s busiest cargo hub to Miami International Airport (MIA), the world’s largest gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean and the nation’s leading international freight airport.
The new service will follow a Hong Kong-Anchorage-Miami-Houston-Anchorage-Hong Kong routing using state-of-the-art Boeing 747-400ERF (Extended Range Freighter) aircraft, the most advanced B747 freighter in existence. Cathay Pacific ordered six of the planes in 2006 - its biggest commitment ever for new freighter aircraft.
The Hong Kong route will greatly enhance trade between MIA, Latin America, the Caribbean and all of Asia. MIA-Asia trade volume in 2007 was valued at more than $2 billion and amounted to 25,000 tons of origin/destination freight. 2008 trade figures are not yet available.
Cathay Pacific ranks fifth in the world among air cargo carriers, registering 8.2 billion freight ton kilometers in 2007, and was named Best Asian Pacific Cargo Airline by Air Cargo News magazine in 2008. The airline currently serves 115 destinations around the world, including freight service to 38 cities.
MIA handled 1.95 million tons of cargo in 2008 and continued to be the top airport in the U.S. and eighth in the world for international freight.
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