Air Hong Kong has stretched its wings once more with a long-haul charter to Sydney, its first flight to Australia – this, however, was only one of many firsts.

A fully owned subsidiary of the Cathay Group, Air Hong Kong operates an overnight express service with efficient freighters for its main customer DHL Express serving the Asian region and its recently extended global hub at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). It joined IATA as a member at the start of this year.

In 2022, the carrier embarked on a series of charter services to Bahrain, linking two of DHL Express’ global hubs during the seasonal peak. Those were Air Hong Kong’s first mid-long-haul services in around 20 years. Earlier this year, Air Hong Kong also operated its first European bound operation to Leipzig, one of DHL Express’ three major global hubs.

The service to Sydney in July was a charter organised for one of the Chinese Mainland’s big e-commerce platforms based in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and was the longest flight for the cargo carrier in more than 20 years, and the first long-haul flight for its GSA partner Cathay Cargo, which opens up available capacity to its own customers.

It also marked the first time that Air Hong Kong has received cargo for a full charter flight that was built up and screened in the Cathay Cargo Terminal in Dongguan and then taken to HKIA by barge.

May Chung, Cargo Sales Manager for the GBA, said that this approach was convenient both for the customer and Air Hong Kong. ‘Compared with trucking the shipment to Hong Kong, being able to prepare the shipment for flight in the GBA saved on costs with discounted terminal charges and lower cost screening,’ she said. ‘Additionally, the shipment could be prepacked into ULDs there, which shortened the transit time in Hong Kong and eliminated any potential for mishandling.’

The 53-tonne shipment of e-commerce bound for the South West Pacific (SWP) region is part of a regular consignment from the e-commerce platform, and this was in some way a proving flight for potential capacity opportunities during the peak.

It was also a good opportunity for Cathay Cargo’s SWP team to plan a shipment for the return flight to Hong Kong using an Airbus A330P2F for the first time.

Air Hong Kong Chief Operating Officer Clarence Tai explained that this flight had been on the cards for some time. ‘We obtained approval from the Australian authorities last year,’ he said. ‘I’d like to thank everyone for the strong collaborative effort at Air Hong Kong, Cathay Cargo in Hong Kong and Sydney, the Cathay Cargo Terminals in Dongguan and Hong Kong, and all the other supporting departments, for making this flight a success.’