HONG KONG, 23 July 2026: The Cathay Group released its traffic figures this week for June 2026 and presented an update on its first-half 2026 financial performance
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “The Cathay Group continued our growth momentum in June, although jet fuel prices remained elevated. Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried a combined total of more than 3.1 million passengers, while Cathay Cargo carried around 145,000 tonnes of cargo, both representing an increase of 9% year on year.
“Meanwhile, we continue to enhance connectivity for our customers, with HK Express having recently launched direct daily flights to Wuxi, further expanding the Group’s network in the Chinese Mainland.”
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific carried 12% more passengers in June 2026 compared with June 2025, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) increased by 6%. In the first six months of 2026, the number of passengers carried increased by 17% compared with the same period for 2025.
Lau said: “The start of June has historically been a softer period for passenger travel demand, but this year load factors remained elevated, amplified by increased traffic through Hong Kong due to the Middle East situation. This was further supported by the mid-month Dragon Boat Festival long weekend, which drove healthy outbound demand from Hong Kong to various short-haul destinations, followed by inbound student traffic from long-haul markets in the latter half of the month. Demand in our premium cabins also remained robust, driven by strong corporate and premium leisure travel.
“The outlook for the summer peak remains encouraging, particularly across our long-haul network. Meanwhile, demand from Hong Kong to short-haul destinations continues to be robust, with the Chinese Mainland and other destinations in Northeast Asia being particularly popular.”
Cathay Cargo
Cathay Cargo carried 9% more cargo in June 2026 than in June 2025, while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 1%. In the first six months of 2026, the total tonnage increased by 9% compared with the same period for 2025.
“Cargo tonnage recorded a solid year-on-year increase in June. During the month, we saw strong cargo flows from the Chinese Mainland into Southeast Asia alongside steady demand within Southeast Asia. Shipments into the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong remained resilient. At the same time, our specialist solutions continued to perform well, with semiconductor and pharmaceutical shipments supporting growth in Cathay Expert and Cathay Pharma respectively. Cathay Priority also saw strong demand into Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and the Americas, reflecting shippers’ need for time-definite solutions to replenish inventory.”
HK Express
HK Express carried more than 560,000 passengers in June 2026, a decrease of 4% year on year, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) decreased by 7%. In the first six months of 2026, the number of passengers carried increased by 10% compared with the same period for 2025.
Lau said: “As with previous years, June is typically a period of softer travel demand for HK Express. That said, a few regions sustained solid performance during the month, with the Chinese Mainland, the Philippines and Thailand all recording passenger load factors above 85% — a double-digit percentage point increase compared with June the previous year. HK Express saw a reduction in year-on-year capacity in June 2026 due to the consolidation of a small number of flights to mitigate part of its increased fuel costs, as was announced in April 2026. Turning to the summer travel peak, bookings for July are ahead of last year.”
First-half 2026 financial performance
The group is expected to record a consolidated profit attributable to shareholders of approximately HKD6.0 to HKD6.5 billion for the six months ended 30 June 2026 (First-Half 2026), which includes a gain on deemed partial disposal of associates of approximately HKD1.4 billion arising from the dilution of the group’s equity interest in Air China Limited, as disclosed in the company’s May 2026 Traffic Figures announcement dated 23 June 2026. This compares with a profit attributable to shareholders of around HKD3.7 billion for the six months ended 30 June 2025.
The group’s first-half 2026 results were also positively impacted by continued solid demand for Cathay Pacific and Cathay Cargo, improved performance from HK Express, and stronger contributions from associates.
(Source: Cathay Pacific)
