Cathay Pacific Cargo’s performance in 2020 has been recognised by readers of industry publication Air Cargo World. The airline received the high score of 4.8 out of five points across all airlines for availability and quality of ‘specialty cargo operations’, and took home the highest overall score of 4.6 out of five for non-express carriers, which featured a strong showing from Asia-Pacific airlines.

Cathay Pacific also scored the highest among fellow Asia-Pacific carriers across several measures in the survey including ‘timeliness’, ‘available space’, ‘maindeck capacity’, ‘perishables’, and ‘network’ along with its ‘specialty cargo’ plaudit.

‘We are honoured that the effort and agility demonstrated by our teams in 2020 has been recognised by Air Cargo World readers,’ said Cathay Pacific Director Cargo Tom Owen. ‘We are particularly thankful for the industry recognition for our specialist cargo products. We go to great lengths to ensure that we can meet the stringent demands of our customers’ requirements with our dedicated suite of products for special cargo.’

Air Cargo World has organised the annual Air Cargo Excellence Survey since 2005. Forwarders, cargo agents and third-party logistics providers are asked to nominate the best suppliers from the air-cargo industry from which the rankings are made.

Air Cargo World editor Caryn Livingston said: ‘Cathay Pacific stood out to Air Cargo World’s readers for its 2020 performance based on its main-deck capacity offerings and available space, as well as for its network that is well positioned to serve the in-demand transpacific trade lane. Based on our research, Cathay Pacific was also among the top operators of passenger freighter flights during 2020, which have demonstrated the importance of carrier agility amid the ongoing global capacity shortages.’

Owen added: ‘The operating environment in 2020 was more challenging than ever before, yet our teams’ unwavering focus on operational performance and our expertise in special cargo handling enabled us to uphold our customer experience metrics. We maintained our extensive freighter network and expanded overall lift capacity with thousands of cargo-only passenger operations, at a time when supply chains were challenged.

‘In 2021, we continue to remain agile as we move through the pandemic, with the development of innovative solutions for our customers and the ongoing digitisation of our operations,’ said Owen. ‘Operational excellence is a core pillar of our strategy and vision to be the most customer-centric air cargo service provider in the world.’