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Cathay Cargo’s freight volumes rose 14.2% year on year to 154,041 tonnes in September 2026, while passenger traffic across the Cathay Group rose 9% to about three million
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Cargo load factor rose 1.8 percentage points to 58.9%, while tonnage for January to September climbed 8.9% to 1.324 million tonnes
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Cathay reported resilient freight demand from mainland China and Southeast Asia
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Cathay Pacific passenger traffic rose 11.6% to 2.45 million, while HK Express carried 524,799 passengers, down 0.8%
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The group expects cargo and passenger demand to strengthen toward the traditional year-end peak season
Cathay Cargo’s freight volumes rose 14.2% year on year to 154,041 tonnes in September 2026, while passenger traffic across the Cathay Group increased 9% to approximately three million, reflecting continued growth in both businesses despite elevated jet fuel prices.
The Hong Kong-based airline group reported that cargo growth outpaced the 5.3% increase in available freight capacity during the month. Cargo load factor rose 1.8 percentage points to 58.9%.
For January to September, Cathay Cargo carried 1.324 million tonnes, up 8.9% from the same period last year. Available freight capacity increased 3.3%, while revenue freight tonne-kilometers, which measure cargo carried over distance, grew 4.7%.
Cathay chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said freight demand remained resilient in mainland China and Southeast Asia.
“In terms of our specialist solutions, Cathay Priority maintained its momentum, boosted by time-critical shipments from Southeast Asia, while continued semiconductor flows underpinned strong demand for our Cathay Expert solution,” said Lau.
READ: Cathay Cargo up 8.6%, passengers hit record in August
“Looking ahead, we expect demand to strengthen further as we approach the traditional year-end air cargo peak season, supported by a positive market outlook for the fourth quarter,” Lau added.
Cathay Priority handles time-sensitive shipments, while Cathay Expert caters to specialized cargo requirements, including semiconductor shipments.
Students, holidayers sustain passenger growth
The cargo gains coincided with higher passenger traffic across the group’s two airlines, Cathay Pacific and low-cost carrier HK Express, which together transported approximately three million passengers in September, up 9% year on year.
“September is traditionally a quieter month for travel following the summer peak. Nevertheless, we continued to see year-on-year growth in passengers as well as cargo carried as a Group, although jet fuel prices remain at elevated levels,” Lau said.
Cathay Pacific carried 2.454 million passengers in September, an increase of 11.6% from a year earlier, as available seat kilometers grew 9%. Passenger numbers for the first nine months reached 24 million, up 14.3%.
Lau attributed the airline’s passenger growth partly to strong outbound student traffic from Hong Kong and mainland China to long-haul destinations ahead of the new school year, with flights to the United Kingdom recording particularly high load factors.
She also cited robust leisure demand from mainland China to Hong Kong and other short-haul destinations toward the end of September, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the lead-up to the National Day Golden Week holidays.
Demand for premium cabins also remained strong, reflecting continued business and premium leisure travel. Cathay expects passenger demand to remain healthy in the fourth quarter.
High load for Philippine routes
HK Express carried 524,799 passengers in September, down 0.8% year on year, even as available seat kilometers increased 10.1%. Its passenger traffic for January to September rose 7.5% to 6.242 million.
“Demand for HK Express softened in September following the summer travel peak. That being said, our Philippines routes performed well with high load factors, while our Chinese Mainland routes continued to record year-on-year passenger growth with an encouraging outlook. We will be launching a new four-times-weekly service to Hefei from 3 December, further expanding our Chinese Mainland network,” Lau said.
During September, the Cathay Group celebrated its 80th anniversary and received industry recognition, with Cathay Pacific named among the top three airlines in the Skytrax World Airline Awards and Cathay Cargo named Air Transport World’s Cargo Operator of the Year.
“These recognitions reinforce our vision of becoming our customers’ most loved service brand, and our determination to strengthen Hong Kong’s international aviation hub status,” Lau said.
