The Cathay Group today released its traffic figures for October 2025. Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “October marked another solid month for our travel and cargo businesses. Cathay Pacific and HK Express together carried a combined total of more than 3.2 million passengers, 21% more than the previous month. Cathay Cargo carried over 150,000 tonnes of cargo in October, representing a 12% increase month-on-month.
“Meanwhile, we are continuing to add new destinations to our global network. In November, Cathay Pacific launched daily direct flights to Changsha and returned to Adelaide 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, the number of passengers carried increased by 27% compared with the same period in 2024.
Lavinia said, “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 it has been for the month of 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.
Lavinia said: “In October, momentum continued to strengthen despite various holidays in our home market, with growth observed across most regions. We saw robust demand for our Cathay Fresh solution, driven by the transport of fresh produce from Southeast Asia and Oceania to Hong Kong, as well as chilled salmon from South America to the Chinese Mainland. Our Cathay Priority solution also recorded solid growth from Southeast Asia and the Greater Bay Area, reflecting robust demand for time-sensitive shipments ahead of the festive season and year-end sales events.
“As we look ahead to the remainder of the cargo peak season, we expect demand to remain healthy with high loads continuing, particularly on key trade lanes.”
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, the number of passengers carried increased by 31% compared with the same period for 2024.
Lavinia said: “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 advance bookings remain encouraging, the airline will continue to closely monitor the travel demand to Japan and focus on stimulating demand across its network.”
