HONG KONG, 24 October 2025: Cathay Group released on Wednesday its traffic figures for September 2025, showing a year-on-year growth in passenger traffic.
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau commented: “September typically marks a quieter period for our travel business following the end of the summer travel peak, though we continued to see year-on-year growth in the number of passengers carried as a Group. Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried a combined total of over 2.7 million passengers, 20% more than in September 2024. Meanwhile, heading into the traditional air cargo peak season in September, Cathay Cargo carried over 130,000 tonnes of cargo, slightly higher than the same period last year.
“In September, Cathay Pacific also announced non-stop passenger flights between Hong Kong and Changsha starting 4 November 2025, bringing the Group’s overall Chinese Mainland network to 24 destinations. Cathay Pacific is also increasing frequencies on other Chinese Mainland routes, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai this coming winter season. As a group, we will be operating more than 330 return flights per week between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.”
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific carried 21% more passengers in September 2025 compared with September 2024, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) increased by 20%. In the first nine months of 2025, the number of passengers carried increased by 27% compared with the same period in 2024.
Lau noted: “As the busy summer travel months drew to a close, we saw a shift to the outbound student travel peak in September ahead of the new school year, with our outbound flights from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in particular achieving high load factors. Meanwhile, travel demand for Japan also rebounded strongly in September, with passenger volumes surpassing those of the same period last year, supported by connecting traffic from our network. In addition, the load factor for our premium cabins reached its highest level of the year, driven by various exhibitions in Hong Kong and fashion weeks in Milan and Paris. We also observed robust traffic from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in the period leading up to the National Day holiday.
Looking ahead
Demand is building up for Christmas and the year-end holidays. Cathay Pacific will continue to add more flights and destinations in the coming months.
Cathay Cargo
Cathay Cargo carried 1% more cargo in September 2025 than in September 2024, while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 4%. In the first nine months of 2025, the total tonnage increased by 10% compared with the same period in 2024.
Tonnage in September declined against the previous month due to the impact of typhoons, but it continued to rise year-on-year as a result of the additional capacity. Cathay Expert and Dangerous Goods solutions also recorded double-digit growth, driven by machinery movements within Northeast Asia and exports of newly launched high-tech products from the Chinese Mainland and Southeast Asia.
“Looking at October and beyond, we observed solid demand during the National Day holiday. We have also added a new seasonal freighter service to Madrid, providing customers with more capacity to and from this important European market during the traditional peak months,” Lau explained.
HK Express
HK Express carried close to 530,000 passengers in September 2025, an increase of 16% year on year, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) grew by 11%. In the first nine months of 2025, the number of passengers carried increased by 31% compared with the same period in 2024.
“For HK Express, September was a quieter month after the summer peak, although we observed a stronger pick-up in demand towards the end of the month, coinciding with the National Day holiday,” Lau explained. “On the airline’s Japan routes, although passenger traffic carried surpassed that of the same period last year, demand has not yet caught up with capacity growth.”
(Source: Cathay Group)
