Cathay Cargo has enhanced its integrated mail platform with Cathay Mail, a refined digital solution that re-envisages the mail-shipment process, generating greater transparency for post offices and providing the track-and-trace visibility their customers expect.

With Cathay Mail, Cathay Cargo is able to provide a superior customer experience that better caters to the requirements of post offices for shipment visibility, reliability and speed.

Director Cargo Tom Owen said: “Cathay Mail highlights how we have adapted technology and digitalisation to offer real benefits to our customers. By fully integrating mail-handling functions with our cargo operations and expertise, our innovative new mail solution provides a sophisticated suite of tools and facilities to support our postal partners.”

Cathay Cargo’s refreshed “mail as cargo” solution integrates mail-handling data with air cargo systems using the PAWB – the postal air waybill. This use of electronic data interchange (EDI) technology removes much of the previous shipment paperwork and gives both origin and destination post offices, and designated operators, more visibility of shipments down to mail bag (or “receptacle”) level, allowing them to offer package-level track-and-trace visibility to e-commerce shippers.

The information also enables Cathay Cargo to manage capacity against actual volumes of mail on flights, so it can make allowances for surges in ad hoc demand, or make unused space available for other cargo.

One of these post offices is Hongkong Post, which participated in earlier “mail as cargo” trials. Hongkong Post Business Director (External Affairs) Steve Lau said: “Cathay Cargo has been a trusted, long-term partner of Hongkong Post and assists in conveying outbound and transit mail to destinations worldwide. While the pandemic had a tremendous impact on the aviation industry, we worked hand in hand with Cathay Cargo and overcame the challenges. Looking forward, and as the home carrier in Hong Kong, Cathay Cargo will continue to be our close partner to support the growth of e-commerce businesses and position Hong Kong as a major hub in the region.”

The new technology in the mail solution offers a firm foundation for that ambition. Cathay Cargo’s Tom Owen said: “Cathay Mail will improve on Cathay Cargo’s existing mail service levels by offering high-visibility performance and improved-on time-delivery performance. This updated solution expands and optimises the use of EDI that, with the PAWB, delivers an enhanced level of customer performance and real tangible benefits to our post office customers and our own operational performance.”