The aisles of the September trade show at Asia World Expo in Hong Kong were thronged with visitors as usual, which is a reflection of growth for the perishables market, particularly across Asia.

Cathay Cargo invited delegates from the show to see the world-class facilities at the Cathay Cargo Terminal and also hosted drinks events on two days of the show.

Speaking at one of the drinks events held at the airline’s headquarters, Cathay City, General Manager Cargo Commercial Nelson Chin welcomed guests, thanked them for their support and outlined the importance of perishables as it is the one growing segment of the global air freight market.

‘In the year to date to June, the perishables sector has grown globally by 3.4 per cent, and our own Fresh LIFT product has grown by 1.3 per cent against an overall global drop in air freight,’ he said. ‘This segment performs well, and there is more potential to come.

‘Asia is a growing perishables market, led by the Chinese mainland, India, Japan and Southeast Asia, in line with the economic development taking place in this part of the world. We are within five hours of half the world’s population, making Hong Kong an ideal trans-shipment hub.’

Nelson added: ‘Cathay Pacific remains very much committed to the perishables market, and we will continue to invest in solutions that best serve our customers. We launched our Fresh LIFT product in 2007, and we have product champions around the world, especially in Hong Kong. There is more infrastructure development to come, and we are very proud to be the first airline to achieve the CEIV Fresh certification that showcases the quality of our operations.’