Cathay Pacific and sister carrier HK Express are set to fully recover their pre-Covid schedule in the new year.
The forecast came as the Hong Kong-based airline group reported a 23% year-on-year rise in November carryings to more than two million passengers.
Chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: “November was another solid month for our travel business. Passenger volumes remained strong across our network and for the fourth time this year, Cathay Pacific carried more than two million passengers in a single month.
“As a group, we are pleased to have successfully completed our two-year rebuilding journey.
“Together, Cathay Pacific and HK Express will reach 100% of pre-pandemic flights from January 2025.
“To support our rebuild, we have set a new record on the people front with around 7,000 new employees recruited and trained in 2024. Our overall Cathay group headcount has now reached more than 30,000 people, including over 3,400 pilots across Cathay Pacific and HK Express.
“We project that the two airlines will operate passenger services to 100 destinations around the world within 2025. This month saw Cathay Pacific add Cairns and HK Express add Phu Quoc, Hualien and Shizuoka to our global network.
“For 2025, Cathay Pacific has already announced Hyderabad, Dallas, Munich and Brussels, while HK Express has announced Sendai, with more new destinations still to come.”
She added: “The group projects a strong second-half financial result driven by elevated cargo demand and reduced fuel prices. This is partially offset by a continued normalisation of passenger yields as the supply of flights increases to meet demand in the overall market as expected.”