Friday, November 11, 2016

Cathay Pacific Appoint Freight Handler for New Oregon Route

Matheson Flight Signs Deal with Asian Airline
Shipping News Feature
US – Matheson Flight Extenders, a subsidiary of road haulage specialists Matheson Trucking, has signed a freight consolidation agent agreement with Cathay Pacific Airways in October to provide import/export air cargo services at the Portland International Airport for goods transported to and from Oregon and Asian markets.

Matheson currently provides airport terminal handling services for US mail in Portland and will now provide consolidation services for twice-weekly arrivals and departures of Cathay Pacific's 747-8F jumbo jet service which launched 4 November. These flights travel between Portland and Hong Kong via Los Angeles and Anchorage. Charles Mellor, Chief Operating Officer for Matheson said:

"This is an exciting opportunity for Matheson to once again expand into the international freight arena. We handled similar services for Asiana Airlines and are proud to be a key facilitator in the partnership between the Port of Portland and Cathay Pacific. Providing consolidation for import/export goods benefits the economy of Portland and businesses in the region."

Several regional manufacturers, such as Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Intel, have expressed interest in this direct air cargo service. Besides those obvious product categories such as semi-finished footwear and apparel that could be transported from Portland to Hong Kong there are other products of the region such electronics and perishable goods like blueberries, cherries, Dungeness crab and oysters which might benefit.

Cathay Pacific expects to carry 40 to 60 tonnes of cargo from Portland every month and expects their new service to rise in the future East Asia markets account for over half of Oregon's air exports, valued at $4.3 billion, which currently ships through other airports.

Photo: Josh Matheson, Vice President of Operations (left) and Charles Mellor, Chief Operating Officer for Matheson Trucking with Oregon Governor Kate Brown at the launch of the latest service.