Cathay Fresh: the optimal cold-chain solution

In the Vietnam market alone, Cathay Fresh transported over 1,447 tonnes of fresh commodities in 2024, including frozen seafood, meats, fresh fruits such as durian, dragon fruit, and pomelo, and flowers, accounting for 7.1 per cent the total market share. In the first quarter alone, the volume exceeded 505 tonnes, representing 9.2 per cent of the market during that period.

In November 2022, Cathay Cargo transported the first shipment of green pomelos from Cho Lach district, Ben Tre province, to major US gateways including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Houston, utilising the Cathay Fresh specialised solution integrated across the airline’s fleet.

Ben Tre green pomelos are highly valued for their quality, strengthening their competitive position despite higher prices, and gaining popularity in the US market. This marked the first time Vietnam had exported pomelos to the United States, paving the way for broader access to the tropical fruit market.

Cathay Cargo was the world’s first airline to receive the Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Fresh certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a globally recognised accreditation for the proper handling of perishable products.

At its hub at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Cathay Cargo offers rapid tarmac transfers, cold-room warehouse handling, and pre-bookable cool dollies to safeguard shipments from ambient temperatures during transfers, providing an additional layer of cold-chain protection.

Hong Kong serves as a major export gateway for perishable goods in the region, linking major production markets such as Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and Mainland China with global buyers.

The hub features dedicated cold-storage infrastructure, rapid cargo processing that meets CEIV Fresh standards, and comprehensive support for temperature-controlled containers and cool dollies. It is a critical transshipment point for cold-chain cargo destined for the United States, Canada, and Europe.

In the US, Los Angeles and New York are two major gateways on the west and east coasts that serve high-demand consumer markets and are ideally suited for Vietnamese agricultural exports such as dragon fruit, durian, star apple, live lobster, and basa fish fillets.

In Canada, with direct links from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, these key routes serve thriving Asian communities in Vancouver and Toronto. The market is well-suited for live seafood, fresh tropical fruits, and cut flowers. Shipments on these routes benefit from real-time monitoring using Ultra Track sensors, ensuring cold-chain integrity from origin to destination.

Especially in the European market, as one of Europe’s largest import hubs for fresh food, agricultural produce, and flowers, Amsterdam plays a central role in Cathay Cargo’s cold-chain network. The Hong Kong – Amsterdam route meets stringent EU cold-chain standards, integrates Cathay Fresh priority handling, and offers onward connections to major regional markets such as Germany, France, Italy, and Belgium.

The Ultra Track service is Cathay Cargo’s advanced cargo monitoring solution, tailored for high-value, perishable, or environmentally sensitive shipments, such as pharmaceuticals, fresh produce, electronics, and other cold-chain products. This service utilises Internet-of-Things-enabled sensors attached to shipments to track multiple data points in real time, including location, temperature, humidity, light exposure, vibration, and pressure.

Monitored 24/7 by Cathay’s Global Operations Control Centre (OCC), Ultra Track issues instant alerts in the event of anomalies, such as temperature deviations, ensuring shipment integrity, allowing customers to respond promptly to in-transit issues, and enhancing the reliability and transparency of global cargo operations.

Ultra Track gives customers near-real-time information

Meanwhile, Cathay Priority is a premium priority service designed for shipments that require the fastest possible delivery times and an increased level of priority handling. It is ideal for high-value, time-sensitive, or just-in-time goods with strict delivery deadlines.

With multiple booking tiers which vary by speed, capacity, and assurance, the solution ensures that cargo receives first-priority treatment throughout every stage of handling, from warehouse check-in and aircraft loading to arrival and unloading. Even during high-capacity periods, space on the aircraft is guaranteed for Cathay Priority shipments, minimising ground time and optimising total delivery lead time.

When Ultra Track and Cathay Priority are combined, they offer an optimal solution for customers who demand continuous monitoring and high-speed, high-reliability transportation, ideal for critical goods like vaccines, high-end electronics, and luxury fashion items.

Cathay Cargo has been actively transporting a wide range of fresh goods from Vietnam to discerning markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Items such as dragon fruit, lychees, durian, fresh fish, and cut flowers are processed through the Cathay Fresh protocol to ensure top-tier quality is maintained across long-haul distances.

With its strategic hub in Hong Kong, the airline can access half of the world’s population within a five-hour flight, providing critical support for reducing delivery timelines and streamlining supply chains.

Cathay Group has an extensive freighter and passenger fleet and network spanning 200 destinations. This robust infrastructure enables seamless integration between major manufacturing hubs and key consumer markets across Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and Latin America.

Beyond geographic connectivity, Cathay Cargo offers end-to-end logistics solutions, combining air freight with ground transport solutions (exclusive to the Greater Bay Area) to support cross-border trade with efficiency, reliability, and precision.

With its powerful global reach and world-class infrastructure at HKIA, consistently ranked among the world’s top cargo hubs, Cathay Cargo is cementing its role as a vital trade bridge between East and West, particularly as global supply chains demand greater speed, flexibility, and transparency than ever before.

Operating from its strategic transshipment hub in Hong Kong, a facility certified with the IATA CEIV Fresh accreditation, Cathay Fresh delivers seamless cold-chain connections to key destinations around the world.

Cathay Cargo asserts global positioning with Vietnam presence Cathay Cargo, the cargo division of the Cathay Group, is steadily asserting its global position through a robust fleet, an expansive route network, and a sharp market strategy with its Vietnam presence.