HONG KONG, 26 October 2026: The Cathay Group released its traffic figures for September 2026 last Friday, confirming the group’s two airlines, Cathay Pacific and HK Express, carried approximately 3 million passengers in September, marking a 9% increase compared with the same period last year.
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau commented: “September is traditionally a quieter month for travel following the summer peak. Nevertheless, we continued to see year-on-year growth in passengers and cargo carried as a Group, although jet fuel prices remain elevated.”
Meanwhile, driven by resilient cargo demand, Cathay Cargo carried over 150,000 tonnes of cargo, up 14% year on year.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific carried 12% more passengers in September 2026 than in September 2025, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) rose 9%. In the first nine months of 2026, passenger volume rose 14% compared with the same period in 2025.
Lau noted: “September saw strong outbound student traffic from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to long-haul markets ahead of the new school year, with our flights to the UK achieving particularly high load factors. This was followed by robust leisure travel demand from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong as well as various short-haul destinations towards the end of the month during the Mid-Autumn Festival and in the lead-up to the National Day ‘Golden Week’ holiday period. Meanwhile, demand for our premium cabins extended into September, reflecting sustained momentum in both business and premium leisure travel. Looking ahead, we expect demand to remain healthy in the fourth quarter.”
Cathay Cargo
Cathay Cargo carried 14% more cargo in September 2026 than in September 2025, while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 5%. In the first nine months of 2026, total tonnage rose 9% compared with the same period in 2025.
HK Express
HK Express carried more than 520,000 passengers in September 2026, down 1% year on year, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) rose 10%. In the first nine months of 2026, passenger volume rose 8% compared with the same period in 2025.
Lavinia said: “Demand for HK Express softened in September following the summer travel peak. That said, our Philippines routes performed well, with high load factors, while our Chinese Mainland routes continued to record year-on-year passenger growth, with an encouraging outlook. We will be launching a new four-times-weekly service to Hefei from 3 December, further expanding our Chinese Mainland network.”
(Source: Cathay Group)
