The Cathay Group has released its traffic figures for January 2025, showing significant growth in both passenger and cargo sectors. Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau commented on the group’s strong start to the year, noting a record number of passengers carried during the Lunar New Year travel peak on January 25.
Lau stated, “The Cathay Group has got off to a strong start in 2025. Over the Lunar New Year travel peak, on 25 January Cathay Pacific and HK Express combined carried over 110,000 passengers, marking a new post-pandemic record for the number of passengers carried on a single day.”
Cathay Pacific reported a 37% increase in passenger numbers compared to January 2024. The airline’s Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) rose by 30.9%, while the load factor improved by 3.6 percentage points year-on-year.
“Following the Christmas and New Year holidays, Cathay Pacific witnessed a resurgence in business travel demand leading to a solid load factor in the premium cabins,” Lau said. She also noted increased demand from Hong Kong and mainland China during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Cathay Cargo saw an increase of 13.7% in cargo carried compared to last year, with Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) up by 14.7%. However, its load factor decreased by 2.5 percentage points.
“Cargo got off to a slower start after the New Year holidays but demand gradually picked up pace as we approached the traditional pre-Lunar New Year rush,” Lau mentioned regarding cargo operations.
HK Express achieved record numbers with over 667,000 passengers in January, marking an increase of 46.1% from January last year. The airline also expanded its network with new routes and increased flight frequencies during this period.
“In addition to carrying a record number of passengers and expanding its network in January,” Lau added about HK Express’s performance.
The group aims to reach more destinations worldwide this year with upcoming route announcements expected soon.
