Hong Kong’s long-haul draw lifts Cathay Pacific carryings 

Cathay Pacific saw July carryings rise by almost a quarter with the start of summer peak long-haul travel to and from Hong Kong.

The year on year increase came as the airline reported passenger numbers were up 27% for the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall Cathay Group carryings reached 3.2 million, including more than 680,000 flown by regional arm HK Express.

But chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: “Demand for flights to Japan remained subdued in July due to earthquake rumours, and while we are gradually seeing a pick-up in bookings in August, they are yet to return to normal levels.”

Reviewing last month’s performance, she said: “July marks the start of the traditional summer peak season for our passenger business, and together Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried approximately 3.2 million passengers, the most of any month so far this year. 

She added: “The robust demand Cathay Pacific saw in July was primarily driven by long-haul traffic to and from Hong Kong in the first half of the month, particularly among students and those visiting friends and relatives, followed by leisure traffic to regional destinations such as South Korea and Southeast Asia in the second half of July. These traffic flows contributed to a load factor of 86% in July.

“Turning to August, earlier this month we were delighted to return to Brussels with the launch of our four-times-weekly flights between Hong Kong and the Belgian capital. 

“Looking further ahead, we expect student traffic to provide a travel boost in September ahead of the new school year, while the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday periods are expected to stimulate leisure travel demand from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland in October.

“HK Express has continued to expand its network with the launch of new routes to Guiyang in July and Kuala Lumpur in early August.”