The Cathay Group released its traffic figures for August 2025.
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “Marking the second half of the traditional summer travel peak, August was another positive month for our passenger business. As a Group, we are pleased to have carried an average of more than 110,000 passengers per day.
“Our global network continues to expand, with HK Express launching flights to Kuala Lumpur (Subang) in early August. We are also excited to have just announced 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 also pleased to be 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, the number of passengers carried increased by 28% compared with the same period for 2024.
Lavinia said: “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, providing them with 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 for 2024.
Lavinia said: “We continued to see healthy year-on-year tonnage growth in August. Demand for capacity into the Americas remains robust, and our Cathay Dangerous Goods solution has also seen considerable growth, particularly from lithium batteries movements to Oceania. Turning to September, we expect momentum to continue as the traditional air cargo peak begins, spurred by new high-tech product launches. To meet rising demand, we will be introducing additional freighter schedules, including a new weekly service to Madrid from 13 October 2025.”
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 for 2024.
Lavinia said: “While HK Express saw some pickup 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 the market demand to Japan has not fully rebounded to be in line with capacity. Looking at September, HK Express will continue to offer attractive fares to stimulate demand as it enters the low season.”
