Matheson Flight Extenders has signed a freight consolidation agent agreement with Cathay Pacific Cargo for its twice-weekly Portland services.

The subsidiary of Matheson Trucking will provide import/export air cargo services at Portland International Airport for goods transported to and from Oregon and Asian markets.

Matheson provides airport terminal handling services for US mail in Portland, and has added eight employees to support the twice-weekly Boeing 747-8 Freighter flights launched on 4 November. The flights travel between Portland and Hong Kong via Los Angeles and Anchorage.

Matheson chief operating officer, Charles Mellor says: “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.”

Several regional manufacturers including Nike, Columbia Sportwear and Intel expressed an interest in direct air cargo services, and products including semi-finished footwear and apparel, electronics and perishables like cherries, blueberries, Dungeness crab and oysters are expected to fly on the service.