Brand-wise, it’s been a good time for Cathay Cargo – and for Hong Kong. Fresh from co-hosting the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens and the IATA World Cargo Symposium, last month we learned that Hong Kong has maintained its status as the world’s busiest air cargo hub in the ACI (Airports Council International) rankings.
This is terrific news and further reinforces Hong Kong’s position as an international trade and financial centre, and the pivotal aviation gateway to the Greater Bay Area. This manufacturing region is currently fuelling global e-commerce exports, as well as being a strong consumer and import market in its own right.
It was also great to welcome so many of our top customers and global forwarders to Hong Kong for our annual Cargo Business Update, and to enjoy some downtime at the Hong Kong Sevens. This was the first time since 2019 that we’ve had our own dedicated Cathay Cargo box at the iconic Hong Kong Stadium.
Away from Hong Kong, we were a sponsor at the IATA CNS Partnership Conference in Dallas where we presented our credentials to the Americas air cargo market. We also attended the LogiPharma event in Lyon, where we were able to bring our Cathay Pharma solution directly to the life sciences market.
In other great news, we’re delighted to have been nominated at the AFLAS Logistics and Cargo Awards, for Best Air Cargo Carrier - Asia, and Best Green Air Cargo Carrier; and Cathay Cargo Terminal has been nominated for Best Air Cargo Terminal Operator – Asia. We’d greatly appreciate your vote here. Please also show your support by voting for Cathay Cargo here at the World Air Cargo Awards, organised by Air Cargo Week.
Of course, there are challenges ahead – and the biggest one remains sustainability and the battle to reduce emissions. Last month, Cathay published its annual Sustainability Report. The big ticket item remains alternative fuel sources, as we take on the challenge to become carbon neutral by 2050. We were delighted to welcome Dimerco Express Group and Yusen Logistics as new members of our Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Programme. SAF is central to decarbonisation, but we are taking the lead across sustainability initiatives. For example, our Cathay Cargo Terminal has developed a new process that means the plastic wrapused in shipment build-up is now 50 per cent recycled – that’s compared to the industry target of 30 per cent.
It’s clear: working across our business, and with our partners, we can be bigger, better and Greener Together – and be number one for years to come.