Cathay Pacific says no need for Western Sydney cargo flights

By Andrew Curran

Cathay Pacific says there are no immediate plans for the airline to fly cargo services into Western Sydney Airport (WSI), but it could do so if required.

"We can fly there tomorrow," Nigel Chynoweth, Cathay Pacific's Australia and New Zealand Area Head of Cargo, told the CAPA Asia Pacific Airline Leader Summit in Adelaide this week. "But we've just got no need at the moment. Cathay's focus is on other parts of the world."

Sydney's newest airport opened to cargo flights earlier this week, with Texel Air Australasia and Qantas Freight flying in on the airport's first day of operations.

Cathay Pacific flies two weekly freighters into Sydney Airport (SYD), and Chynoweth says the carrier is quite happy with that arrangement but is open to flying to any airport in Australia "if there is business there".

Cathay Pacific's freighters, operating under the Cathay Cargo brand, also fly to Brisbane (BNE) and Melbourne (MEL) on a scheduled basis.

"If the numbers stack up, if we've got the aircraft, and we've got the crew, we'll do it," said Chynoweth.

The cargo boss noted that another Cathay Pacific Group-owned cargo operator, Air Hong Kong, which operates flights on behalf of DHL, is expanding and likely to handle more e-commerce shipments into Australia.

"Whether that goes to Sydney or Western Sydney, we'll have to wait and see," Chynoweth said.

Tasman Cargo Airlines also has no immediate plans to fly to WSI

Another cargo airline that operates flights on behalf of DHL, Tasman Cargo Airlines, also has no immediate plans to shift its Sydney flights to Western Sydney Airport.

Speaking to Aero South Pacific on the summit's sidelines, CEO Kim Rasmussen said there were several reasons for this, including that Tasman Cargo Airlines mostly operates daytime flights in and out of Sydney and is therefore not affected by the Australian Department of Transport's decision to shift most night-time cargo flights from Sydney to Western Sydney by the end of the year.

Rasmussen also said Tasman Cargo Airlines transports a significant number of live horses, and there is no equine processing facility at Western Sydney Airport. But he also noted that his aircraft go where DHL wants them to go.

Never say never, Rasmussen said, but he stressed that a shift to Western Sydney Airport is not on the short-term horizon for Tasman Cargo Airlines while DHL’s facility remains at Sydney’s legacy airport

Saudia Cargo eyes Western Sydney flights

However, Western Sydney Airport is likely to see at least one other cargo carrier start operating flights to the airport. Earlier this week, the Australia – Saudi Logistics Alliance opened an air trade corridor between Saudi Arabia and Australia with the first-ever direct freighter flight between the two countries – a Saudia Cargo B747-400F flying between Riyadh and Melbourne Avalon, just 45 days after an agreement was signed with Avalon Airport.

The Alliance, which exists to strengthen freight connectivity and facilitate long-term trade growth between the two countries, has signed a similar agreement with Western Sydney Airport.

The Alliance says Western Sydney International Airport is now positioned as one of the future Australian destinations for Saudia Cargo operations.

Photo: Cathay Pacific.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com