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Cathay Cargo carried 151,904 tonnes of cargo in August, an 8.6% increase from a year earlier, as the Cathay Group sustained growth across both its cargo and passenger businesses during the summer peak
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Cargo tonnage for the first eight months of 2026 increased 8.2% to 1.169 million tonnes
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Cathay Pacific and HK Express together carried more than 3.6 million passengers, a new group record and 4% higher than August 2025
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Cathay Cargo said demand was supported by semiconductor shipments within Asia, pharmaceutical cargo from Europe and the Chinese mainland, and inventory replenishment ahead of the year-end air cargo peak
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Cathay noted September is a softer month for passenger travel, but air cargo demand is expected to rise as peak season nears
Cathay Cargo carried 151,904 tonnes of cargo in August, an 8.6% increase from a year earlier, as the Cathay Group sustained growth in both its cargo and passenger businesses during the summer peak.
Cathay Pacific and HK Express together carried more than 3.6 million passengers during the month, a new record for the group and a 4% increase year on year, according to traffic figures released by The Cathay Group on September 17.
Cathay Cargo’s available freight tonne kilometres increased 1.4% in August, while revenue freight tonne kilometres rose 3.1%. Its cargo load factor improved by 0.9 percentage point to 57.4%.
For the first eight months of 2026, Cathay Cargo carried 1.169 million tonnes, up 8.2% from the same period last year. Available freight tonne kilometres increased 3.1%, while cargo load factor rose 0.7 percentage point to 58.9%.
Cathay chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said cargo demand remained healthy across the carrier’s key markets.
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“Cargo tonnage in August was supported by healthy demand across our key markets. Demand for Cathay Expert was driven by robust semiconductor shipments within Asia, while Cathay Pharma reported notable growth from Europe and the Chinese Mainland. Our Cathay Priority solution also continued to perform well, reflecting shippers’ need to replenish inventory ahead of the traditional year-end air cargo peak,” Lau said.
“Turning to September, we were honored to fly more than 50 horses from Liège to Hong Kong earlier this month for CAVALLUNA’s debut performance outside Europe, showcasing our expertise in transporting live animals. Looking ahead, demand is expected to remain strong, supported in part by high-tech product launches and rising demand as we enter the traditional air cargo peak season,” she added.
Passenger traffic
Cathay Pacific carried 2.827 million passengers in August, up 5.4% from August 2025. Available seat kilometres increased 3.4%, while revenue passenger kilometres rose 4%. Passenger load factor improved 0.5 percentage point to 87.2%.
For January to August, Cathay Pacific carried 21.55 million passengers, 14.6% more than in the same period last year.
Lau said travel demand remained robust during the month, particularly for leisure travel from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland to short-haul destinations, as well as student traffic to North America and the United Kingdom.
“The robust demand we saw in July continued into August. Leisure travel remained resilient throughout the month, particularly from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to various short-haul destinations in our network. We also saw strong student traffic to North America and the United Kingdom towards the end of the month ahead of the start of the new school year. Looking ahead, while September is typically a quieter month for travel, demand is expected to pick up closer to the National Day ‘Golden Week’ holiday period,” Lau said.
HK Express
HK Express carried 796,074 passengers in August, down 0.8% year on year, although available seat kilometres increased 3.3%. Its passenger load factor declined 1.5 percentage points to 83.9%.
For the first eight months, HK Express carried 5.717 million passengers, an 8.3% increase from a year earlier.
Routes to the Chinese mainland remained particularly strong, with the network recording an overall load factor of 90% despite capacity growth, according to the group.
“HK Express’s Chinese Mainland routes remained particularly popular in August, with overall load factor for the Chinese Mainland reaching 90% despite capacity growth. Our newly launched direct service to Wuxi continues to be well received by customers, contributing positively to the performance of our Chinese Mainland network. Looking at September, as expected travel demand has softened following the summer peak, we remain focused on stimulating demand and leveraging the strength of our network,” Lau said.
The August figures were released as the group reported elevated jet fuel prices but continued demand across its passenger and cargo operations.
READ: Cathay’s cargo, passenger numbers both grow 9% in June 2026
