Saturday, August 17, 2024 Cathay Pacific has set a new post-pandemic milestone, carrying over two million passengers in July 2024 for the first time since the pandemic. The airline reported transporting 2,008,225 passengers, marking a 15.1% increase compared to July 2023.
The revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) also saw a 16.1% year-on-year rise. However, the passenger load factor slightly decreased by 3.
8 percentage points to 85.5%, even as available seat kilometers (ASKs) increased by 21.2% year-on-year.
In the first seven months of 2024, Cathay Pacific’s passenger numbers surged by 32.5% to 12,667,826, with corresponding increases of 39% in ASKs and 31.6% in RPKs compared to the same period in 2023.
Cathay Pacific also reported robust cargo operations, carrying 126,797 tonnes in July 2024, up 9.6% from July 2023. Although cargo revenue tonne kilometers (RFTKs) slightly dipped by 0.
5% year-on-year, the cargo load factor decreased by 1.5 percentage points to 58.3%.
The airline recorded a 10.3% increase in total tonnage for the first seven months of 2024, with corresponding rises of 9.9% in AFTKs and 3.
8% in RFTKs. Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau attributed the strong performance to the summer travel peak and a surge in demand for long-haul flights to and from Hong Kong, particularly in popular destinations like Japan, Southeast Asia, and Paris, due to the Olympic Games. Looking ahead, Cathay Pacific anticipates continued strong travel demand through August and September, boosted by students returning to the UK.
On the cargo front, the airline expects healthy demand levels heading into the peak season from September through the end of the year..
