Matheson Flight Extenders currently provides airport terminal handling services for US mail in Portland. The company has now added eight employees to support the twice a week arrivals and departures of Cathay Pacific's 747-8F service which was officially launched on November 4. These flights travel between Portland and Hong Kong via Los Angeles and Anchorage.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Matheson to once again expand into the international freight arena," commented Charles Mellor, Chief Operating Officer for Matheson. "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."
Product categories that could be transported from Portland to Hong Kong include semi-finished footwear and apparel, electronics and perishable goods like blueberries, cherries, Dungeness crab and oysters.
Cathay Pacific expects to carry 40 to 60 tonnes of cargo from Portland every month, and even more as demand rises. This new service saves weeks of shipping time compared with marine transport. Port officials said East Asia markets account for over half of Oregon's air exports, valued at US$4.3bn, currently being shipped through other airports.
