 Cargo volumes at Cathay Pacific in October continued a pattern of double-digit contraction as strict China COVID policies hamper flight operations and the traditional fall surge in airfreight activity ahead of the holidays failed to materialize. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific, a major combination carrier with a fleet of 20 Boeing 747 freighters, has tumbled from the fifth- to the ninth-largest cargo carrier in the world in the past year, according to the International Air Transport Association. 