Cathay Pacific Airways plans to launch a twice-weekly scheduled freighter service to Columbus, Ohio, beginning March 21. Columbus will be Cathay Pacific’s 12th freighter destination in North America.
“Cathay Pacific is delighted to further strengthen our industry-leading, transpacific service by adding Columbus to our network,” James Woodrow, Cathay Pacific director cargo, said. “Our 13 Boeing 747-8F freighters are the ideal aircraft to link Hong Kong with the Americas, giving a reliable and fuel efficient service to our customers.”
Cathay Pacific will operate the Columbus service on a Hong Kong-Anchorage-Columbus-New York (JFK)-Vancouver-Hong Kong routing every Wednesday and Friday, using its newest and biggest freighter, the Boeing 747-8F.
Earlier this month, the airline announced the launch of a thrice-weekly scheduled freighter service to Mexico City on March 1. Cathay Pacific recently took delivery of its 13th Boeing 747-8F freighter aircraft, with one more on order for delivery in 2016.
“The whole region will benefit from this new service and Cathay’s connectivity throughout the world,” said Elaine Roberts, president and CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which operates Rickenbacker International Airport. “This is great news for Rickenbacker, and we are delighted to welcome Cathay Pacific Cargo to Columbus.”
This service initiative is supported by RCS Logistics, which recently moved in to a new 48,000-square-foot air-side warehouse at Rickenbacker. In addition to serving local retailers, RCS transports air cargo that arrives at Rickenbacker to points as far away as Texas, Georgia and Florida.
“Cathay’s entry into our market provides an outstanding opportunity to better utilize Rickenbacker,” said Kenny McDonald, chief economic officer of Columbus 2020. “The new service is a testament to the Columbus Region’s strength as an export hub.”
Rickenbacker is one of the world’s few cargo-dedicated airports and is a component of Rickenbacker Inland Port, a multi-modal logistics hub in Columbus. The inland port offers high-speed connections to all four modes of transport – air, ocean, rail and trucking – as well as Foreign Trade Zone status for companies located in the region.