HONG KONG, 24 September 2025: The Cathay Group released on Tuesday traffic figures for August 2025, indicating it carried more than 110,000 passengers per day as a group during the summer travel peak.
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau commented on the results: “Marking the second half of the traditional summer travel peak, August was another positive month for our passenger business.
“Our global network continues to expand, with HK Express launching flights to Kuala Lumpur (Subang) in early August. We are also excited to announce that Cathay Pacific will launch flights to Seattle starting 30 March 2026, reestablishing a direct connection between Hong Kong and an important tech hub on the West Coast of the United States. In terms of frequencies, we are increasing our Riyadh and Dallas-Fort Worth services to daily for the upcoming winter season.”
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific carried 30% more passengers in August 2025 compared with August 2024, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) increased by 32%. In the first eight months of 2025, passengers carried increased by 28% compared with the same period in 2024.
Lavinia added: “We saw robust leisure demand throughout August, particularly from our home market and the Chinese Mainland to various short-haul destinations, alongside a surge in outbound student traffic towards the end of the month. In addition, sentiment for travel to Japan has improved over July but still falls short of last year.
“The beginning of the month saw the resumption of our four-times-weekly service to Brussels, which has been well received by our customers and achieved a load factor of over 85%. We were also delighted to welcome our members and customers back to our newly redesigned flagship lounge at Beijing Capital International Airport, where they could enjoy an elevated experience before their flights. Looking ahead, with September typically being a quieter period, we expect demand to rebound as we approach the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays.”
Cathay Cargo
Cathay Cargo carried 13% more cargo in August 2025 than in August 2024, while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 15%. In the first eight months of 2025, the total tonnage increased by 11% compared with the same period in 2024.
HK Express
HK Express increased its passenger numbers and Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) by 36% and 41%, respectively, in August 2025 compared with August 2024. In the first eight months of 2025, the number of passengers carried increased by 32% compared with the same period in 2024.
HK Express experienced a surge in demand on its Japan routes in August. The load factor of these routes across the summer peak — July and August 2025 combined — was more than 20 percentage points lower than the same period in 2024, as market demand to Japan has not fully rebounded to match capacity. Looking at September, HK Express will continue to offer attractive fares to stimulate demand as it enters the low season.
