Travel Industry News at TravelNewsAsia.com since 1997
Tue, 25 October 2022

Cathay Pacific Carried 265,845 Passengers in September

(25/10/22)  Cathay Pacific carried 265,845 passengers in September 2022, an increase of 101.7% compared to the same month last year, but an 89% decrease compared to the pre-pandemic level in September 2019.

The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 102.2% year-on-year, down 84.1% compared to September 2019.

The airline's passenger load factor increased by 26.7 percentage points to 72.5%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by 27.8% year-on-year, down 83.8% when compared with September 2019.

In the first nine months of 2022, the number of passengers carried increased by 124.7% against a 6.7% increase in capacity and a 130.6% increase in RPKs, as compared to the same period for 2021.

Cathay Pacific A330 reg: B-LBK. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com Click to enlarge.
Cathay Pacific A330 reg: B-LBK. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

“Cathay Pacific’s travel business continued to show improvement in September, helped by student traffic from both Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. Overall passenger numbers further increased month-on-month to over 8,800 per day, while load factor was 72.5%. Passenger flight capacity stood at about 16% of pre-pandemic levels,” said Ronald Lam, Cathay Pacific's Chief Customer and Commercial Officer. “Demand for student travel to the US tapered down from the second week of September, but this was balanced by growing demand among UK-bound student traffic. As such, we increased the number of flights operated between Hong Kong and the UK from 111 sectors in August to 134 in September, with load factor on flights to London reaching 96%. We also added capacity on flights to Japan and Southeast Asia. Aside from student traffic, inbound traffic to Hong Kong also improved, largely driven by demand from the US and Canada. The removal of hotel quarantine arrangements for passengers arriving in Hong Kong was a very welcome development that has helped boost sentiment for travel. In the last week of September, we saw a considerable increase in demand for flights to Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul.”

Cathay Pacific carried 104,055 tonnes of cargo in September, a decrease of 20.6% compared to September 2021, and a 39.7% decrease compared with the same month in 2019.

September’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) decreased 28.3% year-on-year, down 38.6% when compared to September 2019.

Cargo load factor decreased by 13.3 percentage points to 66.4%, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs), was down by 14% year-on-year, a 39.4% drop on September 2019.

In the first nine months of 2022, the tonnage decreased by 9.8% against a 23.7% decrease in capacity and a 31.8% decrease in RFTKs, as compared to the same period for 2021.

“On the cargo side, tonnage in September decreased about 21% compared to last year’s exceptionally high level. We had reduced cargo flight capacity in expectation of this and operated fewer cargo-only passenger services on long-haul routes,” said Mr. Lam. “However, the fall in demand compared with last year was greater than predicted, largely due to weaker consumer demand and reduced manufacturing activities in the Chinese Mainland. This prolonged the dip we typically see after the Mid-Autumn Festival and also meant the pre-National Day Holiday uptick was relatively mild. Overall last month, cargo flight capacity was approximately 61% of pre-pandemic levels.”

Outlook

“Looking ahead, we remain focused on adding as many passenger flights as we can, and have already added more than 400 flight sectors in October to and from regional and long-haul destinations since the September announcements by the Government,” Mr. Lam said. “We have resumed passenger flights to five destinations this month – Madrid, Milan, Dubai, Kathmandu and Bengaluru – bringing our total number of destinations to 51 in October. As we said in June, our target is to double the number of destinations offered by the end of the year compared with the 29 we operated in January 2022, and we are on course to achieving that. We will continue to add more flights in the coming months. In addition to the flight sectors previously scheduled for November and December, we will be adding close to 700 and 1,200 sectors respectively. This will add more than half a million seats for passengers to choose from.

“Many of these additional seats are for popular destinations. For example, we already increased Tokyo (Narita) frequencies to 86 flight sectors and Osaka to 106 sectors in October. An additional 146 sectors in November and 234 in December will be operated on top of the sectors previously scheduled for Japan in these two months. This will add close to 140,000 seats over this period for fans of Japan heading to Osaka, Tokyo (Narita and Haneda, the latter resuming in November), and Sapporo (resuming in December).

“London Heathrow will also see a substantial increase in passenger flights in November and December. An additional 31,500 seats will be offered over the two months and on certain days in December we will be operating four flights a day. Customers can also look forward to the return of our First class offering on our prime London Heathrow flight, CX251/CX252, starting 5/6 December respectively.

“Customers have also had the opportunity to book our first ever ‘Miles Flights’ for travel throughout October. This has seen every available seat on designated flights to and from Hong Kong and Osaka, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Cebu, Manila, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh being opened for Standard Award redemption this month. In total, we have made more than 70,000 seats available and the response from customers has been very positive.”

Cargo Outlook

“As we resume more passenger flights, the additional cargo capacity provided by the bellies of our passenger aircraft will complement our full freighter schedule, enabling us to offer extended routings and more consistent services to our cargo customers,” said Mr. Lam. “ Demand from the Chinese Mainland softened over the National Day holidays, but is expected to firm up again in the latter part of the month. We remain positive that there will be solid demand over the traditional cargo peak period, and while it will not reach the levels achieved last year, we expect it to still be above historical averages.”

Latest videos Electric Airport Taxis at Almaty Airport (ALA) in Kazakhstan - Exclusive Video Interview with Co-Founder, Auez Tulegenov, Novotel Living and Ibis Almaty Jetisu Hotels in Kazakhstan - Interview with GM, Arseniy Tagaev, and Almaty Marathon 2023 - Video Interview with CEO, Saltanat Kazybayeva.

Headlines: Rosewood to Rebrand Three Lodges in New Zealand  New Dual-Branded Hotel in Kuala Lumpur Appoints Senior Management Team  Bonza to Launch Sunshine Coast - Darwin, Gold Coast - Darwin and Melbourne - Alice Springs  IHG Opens First avid Hotel in New York, USA  Austria to Order Embraer C-390 Millennium Multi-Mission Aircraft  Maldivian Orders Two ATR 42-600 Turboprop Aircraft  IndiGo Adds San Francisco to Codeshare Partnership with Turkish Airlines  Virgin Australia Upgrades Retailing Strategy with Sabre Air Price and Ancillary Solutions  TUI Expands Use of SITA OptiClimb to All Five Airlines in Group  Marshall J Orton Joins Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford as GM of F&B  China Airlines Launches Flights Between Taipei and Kumamoto, Japan  IATA FEGA Identifies Potential for LOT Polish Airlines to Reduce Fuel Consumption  British Airways Joins Fight Against Dementia by Partnering Alzheimer's Society  Hong Kong Int. Aviation Academy Launches First Cadet Pilot Programme  IndiGo Becomes Official Airline of Blue Tigers Indian Football Team  Marriott Opens World's Largest Aloft Hotel  Resort in Maldives Partners Karis Scarlette for Baa Atoll Ballet Retreat  Shady Abdelaziz Joins Four Seasons Hotel Tunis as DOSM  Intra-African Passenger Traffic to More Than Quadruple in Next 20 Years  Indian Air Force Takes Delivery of First C295 Aircraft from Airbus  Tailwind Air Appoints APG as Online GSA in USA  S Hotels Renovates and Upgrades IT Infrastructure at Key Properties in UK  AirAsia to Move Flights to New Airport in Siem Reap, Cambodia  Air Peace Orders Five Embraer E175 Aircraft  China Airlines Rewards FFP Members with Monthly Promotions  IHG Opens New-Build Holiday Inn & Suites in Geelong, Australia  Aruba Working with SITA to Upgrade Immigration Experience at AUA  Langham Opens Cordis Hotel in Xuzhou, China  SMBC Aviation Capital Expands 737 MAX Order Pipeline with Deal for 25 Boeing 737-8s  PHI Signs Agreement for 28 Airbus Helicopters  Anantara Chiang Mai Launches Ping River Cruises on Restored Rice Barge  Thaicom Orders a Flexible Telecommunications Satellite from Airbus  Korean Air Begins Transition to Electronic Air Waybills for Cargo  Tim Toerber Joins Assaia as Vice President of Business Development for the Americas  Elbit Systems Launches Capsule that Combines Skylark III with SkyStriker  Singapore Airlines to Resume Flights to Brussels in 2024  Vietnam Airlines Signs MOU for 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8s  Thai Airways Adjusts BKK-HKT Schedule; Increases Flights to China  Elbit Systems to Upgrade IDF's Mini Skylarks  DidaTravel Appoints Ala Andriuta as Head of Destination Marketing  Cathay Pacific to Resume Flights to Chennai, India in 2024  Qatar Airways Partners Chef Ton for Delicious Thai Flavours in Business Class  Air Astana Opens Flight Training Centre at NQZ, Kazakhstan  Vietnam Airlines to Launch Flights Between Saigon and Perth, Australia  SalamAir to Launch Year-Round Flights Between Muscat and Beirut, Lebanon  Air Astana Launches Flights Between Almaty and Tel Aviv, Israel  Hawaiian Airlines Opens Ticket Sales on First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Flights  Airlines Report Highest RPK and PLF on Record  IHG Signs Six Hotel Indigo Properties in Europe  Turkish Airlines Increases A350 Order Book with Deal for Ten -900s  IATA Reports Global Air Cargo Data for July 2023  Norse Opens Ticket Sales on Paris - Los Angeles Flights  Cartier Opens Boutique at Sydney Airport in Australia  Mazen Abilmona Appointed GM of Pullman Singapore Hill Street Hotel  Air France-KLM to Establish A350 Component Maintenance Services JV with Airbus  Alan Joyce Brings Forward Retirement; Vanessa Hudson Appointed Qantas Group CEO and MD  SAS Appoints Ginger Hughes as CTO; Paul Verhagen as CCO  Eric Pellen Joins Fairmont Amman as Executive Chef  Bombardier Partners Collins Aerospace for Avionics Upgrade on In-Service Global Jets  IndiGo Revamps Inflight Catering Service  FlyArystan to Launch Almaty - Delhi and Astana - Dushanbe Flights  Marriott Opens First Autograph Collection Hotel in Thailand  Construction Begins on Peppers Gladstone Hotel in Central Queensland, Australia  Natalie Dau to Conduct 4-Day Next-Level Performance Retreat at Chiva-Som, Hua Hin  KAI to Begin Serial Production of Light Armed Helicopters from Airbus  AirAsia Thailand Launches CNX - Lampang and NAN - Phrae Transfer Services  Mantra Melbourne Airport Hotel to Undergo Multi-Million Dollar Refurbishment  Qantas Removes Expiry Date on COVID Credits  Indonesia Signs MOU with Boeing for 24 F-15EX Fighter Jets  Airbus Opens Automated A321XLR Equipping Hangar in Hamburg, Germany  Novotel Living and Ibis Almaty Jetisu Hotels in Kazakhstan - Interview with GM, Arseniy Tagaev  Aeroflot to Increase Flights from Russia to Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand  Matthew Senyard Appointed Lodge Manager of Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti in Tanzania  Marriott Expands Luxury Collection to Japanese City of Nara  Embraer and CAE to Expand Pilot Training Program in Singapore  Marriott Opens First Moxy Hotel in Australia  Hong Kong Airport Reports July Passenger and Cargo Traffic  Few Tickets Still Available for Singapore F1 Grand Prix 2023  Qantas Orders 12 Airbus and 12 Boeing Aircraft  Finnair to Launch Flights Between Rovaniemi and Tromsø  Association of Asia Pacific Airlines Reports July's Passenger and Cargo Traffic  Bonza to Launch Flights Between Gold Coast and Launceston, Tasmania  Ramsey Saarany Appointed GM of Anantara Mina al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort  Emirates Reports One of its Busiest Summers Ever  EVA Air Extends Distribution Agreement with Amadeus  Almaty Marathon 2023 - 4K Video Interview with CEO, Saltanat Kazybayeva  Accor Hotels in Australia to Feature Peloton Bikes  Sabre Expands Presence in Fiji and South Pacific Islands with Airline Rep Services  Air New Zealand Orders Two ATR 72-600 Turboprop Aircraft  IndiGo to Operate All International Flights from BLR's Terminal 2  Electric Airport Taxis at Almaty Airport in Kazakhstan - Video Interview with Co-Founder  Elias Pertoft Appointed Pre-Opening GM of Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island  IHG Opens Third Hotel Indigo in Australia  Embraer E195-E2 Receives Type Certification from CAAC  Jörg Arnold Appointed Cluster Director of Andermatt Hotels and GM of The Chedi Andermatt  Marriott Signs Edition Hotel in Dali, China  Ethiopian Airlines to Launch Thrice Weekly Flights to London Gatwick, England  Boeing Appoints Alvin Liu as President - China  Charles Fisher Moves to Cairo as GM of Four Seasons Hotel  Jirarat Ninpadub Appointed GM of Le Meridien Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort  IndiGo to Launch Flights Between Delhi and Almaty, Kazakhstan  Accor Signs Second Sebel Hotel in Wellington, New Zealand  IHG Launches Garner a New Midscale Conversion Brand  Finnair Plus to Adopt Avios as Currency and Become a Spend-Based Platform  Two Luxurious Manor Homes Open at Fairmont St Andrews in Scotland  Thai AirAsia Reports Q2 and H1 2023 Results  Klook Survey Highlights Latest Travel Trends of Millennials and Gen Zs in Asia Pacific  Vietnam Airlines Signs MOC with Singapore Tourism Board  Aviation Safety and Training Singapore to Upgrade Flight Simulators with Lido FMS  Pictures from Miss International Queen 2023 Transgender Beauty Pageant in Pattaya, Thailand  Exclusive Video Interviews with 17 Miss International Queen 2023 Contestants  Living With One Eye - Six Years On by Steven Howard  HD Videos and Interviews  Podcasts from HD Video Interviews  RSS Feed - Travel Industry News  Ticker - Travel Industry News  Travel Industry News Archives  Travel Trade Shows  High-Res Picture Galleries  Travel News Asia - Latest Travel Industry News 

Subscribe to our Travel Industry News RSS Feed Travel Industry News RSS Feed from TravelNewsAsia.com. To do that in Outlook, right-click the RSS Feeds folder, select Add a New RSS Feed, enter the URL of our RSS Feed which is: https://www.travelnewsasia.com/travelnews.xml and click Add. The feed can also be used to add the headlines to your website or channel via a customisable applet. Have questions? Please read our Travel News FAQ. Thank you.

     
Advertising
Advertising
Copyright © 1997-2023 TravelNewsAsia.com