Overview

The Cathay Group published its traffic statistics for Cathay Pacific, HK Express, and Cathay Cargo on March 20, 2025. February witnessed another robust month, propelled by travel peaks related to the Lunar New Year festival.

Key Highlights

Cathay Pacific and HK Express achieved a post-pandemic milestone by delivering a record of more than 111,000 passengers on February 2. Lavinia Lau remarked, “We are excited about expanding our global network by adding more new destinations this year, aiming to surpass 100 passenger destinations.”

The airline will introduce flights to Hyderabad at the end of March and has also announced a new route to Urumqi, effective from April 28. HK Express planned additions include new services to Komatsu starting April 24, Cheongju from June 5, Daegu from June 6, and Miyako (Shimojishima) from June 27. In total, 13 new destinations are set for launch in 2025.

Lau continued, “Our cargo and sustainability initiatives have been acknowledged with two significant awards from Air Transport World: Cargo Operator of the Year & Eco-Airline of the Year, positioning Cathay Pacific as Asia’s first airline to receive this honor.”

Passenger Traffic in February 2025

Cathay Pacific reported a 14.3% rise in passengers compared to February 2024, with Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) up by 17%. The first two months of 2025 witnessed a 25.4% increase in passengers.

In February, leisure travel slowed while business travel surged due to various exhibitions, leading to an excellent load factor in premium cabins, according to Lau’s forecast.

Cargo Performance in February 2025

Cathay Cargo recorded an 11.8% increase in cargo volume year-on-year. With freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs) climbing by 3.5%, the total tonnage increased by 12.8% during the first two months of 2025. Lau mentioned, “Demand from our Hong Kong hub and the Greater Bay Area strengthened towards the end of February.”

Conclusion

Cathay’s anticipation is that March will be less active due to typical seasonal trends, though they look forward to welcoming passengers to new destinations.