Cathay Pacific To Commence Weekly 747 Freighter Service From Wellcamp Airport

Almost one year to the day from its trial flight, Cathay Pacific Airways will commence freighter flights into Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport from 22 November, 2016 with a weekly scheduled service, subject to government approval. It will be the only dedicated freighter service for this part of Queensland and will utilise a Boeing 747-8F.

The decision comes after an extensive evaluation of the airport operations as well as demand for air freight services from businesses in southern Queensland. This included a successful trial flight on 23 November 2015.

Nelson Chin, general manager, Cathay Pacific Airways Southwest Pacific said he was thrilled to see the realisation of the efforts of many to introduce this new service, and in particular the management of Brisbane West Wellcamp, Queensland and Federal governments, freight forwarders, local businesses and the Cathay Pacific Cargo teams in Australia and Hong Kong.

“We were enormously encouraged by the enthusiasm and support of everyone involved in this venture,” he said.

“The combination of primary producers in the Darling Downs area exporting beef, dairy and fresh produce, as well as significant mining and manufacturing businesses in southern Queensland makes it a truly dynamic part of Australia.

“China buys more of Australia’s agricultural products than any other country and we are confident our new service will provide these businesses with a competitive advantage as the benefits of the new China-Australia Free Trade Agreement increase,” he added.

Cathay Pacific Airways operates two dedicated freighter flights a week from Australia to Hong Kong. The flight serving Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport will be CX022. It will operate on Tuesdays Sydney-Melbourne-Brisbane West Wellcamp, arriving into Queensland at 16:45 and departing at 18:15.

The Boeing 747-8F has a cargo capacity of approximately 135,000 tonnes carrying 34 pallets on the main deck and 12 on the lower deck. It also features a cargo door in the nose of the aircraft which enables more efficient loading and unloading of cargo.

The flight will arrive into Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal in Hong Kong at 00:45 on Wednesdays enabling, for example, fresh produce to be delivered to the markets and restaurants in China later that morning as well as onto a vast number of destinations around the world. This facility is one of the biggest and most sophisticated cargo terminals in the world and it was built to set new standards in operational efficiency, environmental design and service levels.

Cathay Pacific Airways also carries a significant amount of cargo in the bellies of its passenger flights which number more than 70 per week from Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.