This is my first message of 2026 – a very special year for Cathay as we celebrate our 80th birthday. Cargo has been an integral part of the story since the beginning, so we are celebrating eight decades of moving cargo that matters to the world from, to and through Hong Kong.

We ended last year in a stronger position than might have been anticipated at the outset. Helped by a robust fourth quarter peak, Cathay Cargo carried more than 1.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, up nine per cent on the previous year. This allows us to enter 2026 with a “cautiously optimistic” outlook. However, we are still operating in a very uncertain environment. We face ongoing risks to our business from the global geopolitical situation and associated macroeconomic impacts. But we also see clear opportunities – for example in the growing air freight demand for AI-related infrastructure and the continued strength of key Asian manufacturing hubs.

As we did last year, we will demonstrate agility in navigating this uncertainty by adjusting our network and adding capacity where our customers see demand. We will also continue to focus on further developing our core strengths that differentiate us in the market, such as in our customer’s digital experience and our specialist shipment solutions.

But our key differentiator will continue to be the Cathay team. I worked a shift with our Cathay Cargo Terminal team in Hong Kong earlier last month and it reinforced to me just how lucky I am to have a team with such experience and passion who always keep the customer front of mind. All this gives me the confidence to say that whatever challenges lie ahead in 2026, We Know How to deliver the very best to our customers.

Read more: Director Cargo Dominic Perret looks ahead to 2026

Old meets new for our 80th birthday

As we celebrate our 80thanniversary, we’re excited that one of our 20 Boeing freighters has been painted in the famed Cathay Pacific “lettuce leaf” livery of the 1980s. Keep an eye out for this special aircraft around our network.

Read more: Cathay celebrates 80 years with a special freighter livery

The people behind We Know How

This year, we’re also spotlighting some of the dedicated people who deliver for our customers through our service and operations. We start with Cherry Wong, who works in the Cargo Operations Centre at the Cathay Cargo Terminal in Hong Kong. The intermodal links to the Greater Bay Area come under her remit, including the new Air-Land Fresh Lane, which enables the import of perishables under one air waybill to Zhuhai. Cherry outlines how she uses her team’s resources and expertise, as well as her own experience as Cathay Pacific cabin crew, to meet and exceed customer expectations one innovation at a time.

Read more: Bringing operational We Know How to life

The view from the top of the world

Anchorage is a crucial port for Cathay Cargo’s transpacific operations – it’s the second busiest port after our Hong Kong home hub. While the extended range of passenger aircraft means they no longer need to stop there, it remains essential for our freighter operation as a pitstop so that we can optimise payloads between Hong Kong and points across the Americas. It’s both an opportunity to refuel and swap flight crews in an 24/7 operation whatever the weather – which in winter can be very challenging indeed.

Read more: Why Anchorage remains a major hub for Cathay Cargo and global trade 

Digital customer experience upgrades and easy SAF purchases for all

We are in the process of upgrading the Manage Booking feature on our website and that launch is imminent, and linked to that, we are also pleased to announce that cathaycargo.com is now fully “mobile responsive”, which means users can access all services, such as track and trace, from any device. With this upgrade, we are discontinuing our Cathay Cargo app.

Meanwhile, we have launched a new online portal to enable customers to make ad hoc purchases of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for their air cargo shipments. This brings new flexibility to more customers, as unlike with our long-running Corporate SAF Programme, there is no minimum purchase requirement, just a simple to use self-service portal available with 24/7 access.

Read more: Cathay Cargo portal enables ad hoc SAF purchases