Cathay Pacific Airways is raising the number of weekly freighter flights to Europe by almost half, adding 11 extra flights from February 1 to Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Manchester.

This will bring the number of freight flights to Europe each week by the airline to 36, pending government approval. The service extension coincides with the delivery of two more Boeing converted freighters in 2007.

Five flights a week, routed through Dubai, will be added to Germany's main cargo hub of Frankfurt, flying out Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Flight rotation will be: Hong Kong, Dubai, Manchester, Amsterdam, Dubai and back to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific already operates a freighter service to Manchester, with eight flights a week. Amsterdam will be Cathay's 32nd freighter destination.