Cathay Pacific "Silver Bullet" freighter lands at DXB

The "silver bullet" went into service recently as part of an innovative airline initiative that asked staff for ideas to cut spiralling fuel costs.

The polished silver fuselage makes the Boeing 747 about 200 kg lighter and over the course of the year, the reduced fuel burn will save more than HK$1.5 million in fuel costs. Virtually the entire aircraft body has been stripped bare, with the exception of the tail and a strip along the aircraft's nose to maintain the airline's identity.

Ultimately all 14 freighter aircraft in the Cathay Pacific freighter fleet will undergo the transformation. The full livery on passenger aircraft will remain unchanged.

Lighter cargo and baggage containers are also being introduced across the entire Cathay Pacific fleet to make further weight and fuel savings. The new containers, known as ULDs, are made of "Twintex" which is more durable than traditional aluminium, and at 73kg per container is 24 kg lighter than the old containers as well.

The ideas for lighter ULDs and to strip freighters down to their "birthday suit" was born out of Cathay Pacific's Airline Weight Task Force, chaired by Chief Operating Officer Tony Tyler. The Task Force invited suggestions from all staff for ways to lose unnecessary weight on aircraft.

Cathay Pacific consumes almost two percent of all jet fuel used by the world's airlines - a large amount considering its size - because most of its flights are long haul. High fuel prices have therefore had a major impact on the airline.

James Evans, Cathay Pacific's Country Manager for the UAE and Oman says,

"Dubai is Cathay Pacific's Middle East freighter hub, with 20 freighter services to HKG each week and regular scheduled freighter services to Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Munich and Paris. Through the "silver bullet" freighters, we will significantly lower our fuel costs without compromising the standards of service excellence that we continually strive to achieve."