Cathay Pacific Airways today announced that it will expand its global freighter network with the launch of services to two new destinations in the United States.

On 6 March, the airline will add Miami and Houston to its list of US freighter destinations, which already includes New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The new service will follow a Hong Kong-Anchorage-Miami-Houston-Anchorage-Hong Kong routing and will be operated three times a week using state-of-the-art Boeing 747-400ERF Extended Range Freighter.

The new US services follow on from the addition of Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City to the Cathay Pacific freighter network in January this year. This service operates twice a week on Hong Kong-Jakarta-Ho Chi Minh City-Hong Kong routing using a Boeing 747-400 Freighter and marks the airline's first scheduled freighter flight to Indonesia. The new service has received a positive response from the market.

In addition to the new freighter destinations, Cathay Pacific will also boost its service to Milan in Italy with effect from 12 February. Three more flights a week will be added to and from Italy's main commercial hub to make a six-times-weekly service.

Cathay Pacific Director Cargo Rupert Hogg said: "Our cargo business is currently facing a big challenge due to the worldwide economic downturn, making it all the more important to seek out new markets and find ways to develop our business over the long term. We are pleased to announce the new services to Miami and Houston, which both provide good connections into the emerging markets of South and Central America. We are confident our four new freighter destinations, together with the enhancement of our services to Milan, will bring long-term benefits."

With the addition of the new services, Cathay Pacific will operate flights to a total of 38 destinations using a fleet of 22 dedicated freighters. The airline is moving to a more fuel-efficient freighter fleet with three out of six Boeing 747-400ERFs now delivered and 10 new Boeing 747-8Fs due for delivery starting in 2010.