'Cathay Pacific Cargo has been an amazing success story for DFW, having grown from three weekly flights just two years ago to now eight weekly trips,' said Joe Lopano, DFW's executive vice president of marketing and terminal management. 'This great new service provides easy access for customers from the Pearl River Delta to the Mid-Continent and East Coast.'
The new flight provides dedicated direct service from DFW to Hong Kong, while the existing seven flights fly from Hong Kong to DFW to Atlanta and then back to Hong Kong. The new frequency comes just months after Cathay Pacific Cargo added three weekly flights in July and August of this year.
'Cathay Pacific Cargo is quickly making DFW a major foothold in the United States, due to the fast growing North Texas economy and a continued growth in trade with Asia,' said Bill Frainey, DFW's assistant vice president of marketing. 'With 24 Fortune 500 companies headquartered within 45 minutes of the Airport and 56 in the State of Texas, DFW presents itself as a prime business choice for airlines looking for a location to grow.'
The additional 747 flight will mark the first time in the Airport's history that 50 weekly wide-body cargo flights will arrive at DFW. The Airport has seen an annual growth rate of 22 percent since 2002 from the Asian market, and with the new flight DFW now receives 39 freighters from Asia weekly. In addition, DFW sees nine weekly freighters to Europe and two to Mexico.
'The polished metal of Cathay Pacific Cargo's previous seven weekly flights was rarely seen by North Texans as the flight typically arrived near midnight,' said Lopano. 'The new flight will be easy to spot with its four big engines as it arrives on Mondays at 4:10 p.m.'
The flight will not be on the ground long, though, as it is scheduled to return to Hong Kong with a fresh load of goods just two hours later.
