HONG KONG, 27 November 2025: Cathay Group released its traffic figures for October 2025 on Wednesday, describing the performance as a solid growth month for passengers and cargo
Cathay Pacific and HK Express together carried more than 3.2 million passengers, 21% more than the previous month. Cathay Cargo carried over 150,000 tonnes of cargo in October, a 12% month-on-month increase.
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau commented: “We are continuing to add more new destinations to our global network. In November, Cathay Pacific launched daily direct flights to Changsha and resumed Adelaide service with a thrice-weekly seasonal service, while HK Express will launch daily flights to Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) later in the month. As a Group, we will be operating around 330 return flights per week to the Chinese Mainland, close to 100 return flights per week to Oceania, and over 430 return flights per week to Southeast Asia during the winter peak season.”
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific carried 29% more passengers in October 2025 compared with October 2024, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) increased by 26%. In the first 10 months of 2025, passenger numbers increased by 27% compared with the same period in 2024.
She explained: “We saw strong travel demand during October. Early-month traffic was buoyed by multiple regional holidays, with the National Day ‘Golden Week’ and Mid-Autumn Festival driving significant leisure demand from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong and onward to global destinations. Later in the month, demand for our premium cabins was stimulated by major exhibitions in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland — including the Canton Fair, Electronics Fair and China Toy Fair — which attracted inbound traffic from various long-haul markets. The robust leisure and business travel demand contributed to a load factor of 86% across our network, the highest for October in recent years.
“Looking ahead, bookings for the Christmas travel peak remain strong. We anticipate significant inbound traffic among those visiting friends and relatives from North America, the United Kingdom and other destinations in Europe.”
Cathay Cargo
Cathay Cargo carried 6% more cargo in October 2025 than in October 2024, while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 8%. In the first 10 months of 2025, the total tonnage increased by 10% compared with the same period in 2024.
HK Express
HK Express carried more than 680,000 passengers in October 2025, an increase of 32% year on year, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) grew by 34%. In the first 10 months of 2025, passenger numbers increased by 31% compared with the same period in 2024.
Lavinia noted: “Boosted by strong demand during the National Day holiday, HK Express’s passenger volumes in October almost caught up with capacity growth, with overall load factor just slightly below that of October 2024. Looking ahead, while this trend is expected to continue as bookings remain encouraging, the airline will continue to closely monitor the travel demand to Japan and focus on stimulating demand across its network.”
(Source: Cathay Group)
