Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo are looking to offer more flexibility and savings for shipments between Hong Kong and Europe as they welcomed Swiss WorldCargo into the airlines’ joint business agreement.

The entry of Swiss WorldCargo builds on a deal signed in 2016 between the two airlines on sales, pricing, contracts, and the handling of shipments between Hong Kong and Europe.

Under the new agreement, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa Cargo, and Swiss WorldCargo will work closely together on network planning, as well as on sales, IT and ground handling.

With the addition of Swiss’ network, the combined cargo network of Cathay is expected to boost traffic at Hong Kong airport. The airlines will initially cooperate on traffic from Hong Kong to Zurich and Frankfurt, with traffic to and from Hong Kong and the rest of Europe planned to be included later this year.

“The addition of Swiss WorldCargo’s flights to the already large combined network of Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa will further bring Hong Kong, the world’s busiest air cargo hub, closer to Europe and strengthen one of the world’s great trade lanes,” said Tom Owen, cargo director at Cathay Pacific.

The joint activities will be carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws, including the competition rules of the European Union and Hong Kong.