Cathay Pacific and budget airline HK Express carried a record number of over 3.6 million passengers in August despite elevated jet fuel prices, driven by robust travel demand during the summer peak.
Flagship carrier Cathay Pacific carried 5 percent more passengers last month to 2.83 million, bringing the total passenger number in the first eight months of the year to 21.55 million, up by 14.6 percent from a year ago.
Leisure travel remained resilient throughout the month, particularly from Hong Kong and the mainland to various short-haul destinations in its network, according to a filing by Cathay Pacific Airways (0293) on Thursday.
Strong student traffic to North America and the United Kingdom was also seen ahead of the start of the new school year in August, the airline said.
While September is typically a quieter month for travel, demand is expected to pick up closer to the National Day ‘Golden Week’ holiday period, it added.
Low-cost carrier HK Express carried more than 790,000 passengers in August, a decrease of 1 percent. In the first eight months of the year, its passenger numbers rose 8.3 percent to 5.7 million.
It will remain focused on stimulating demand and leveraging the strength of its network this month as expected travel demand has softened following the summer peak, the filing said.
On the cargo front, Cathay Cargo carried 9 percent more cargo in August, supported by “healthy demand” across key markets.
Demand for Cathay Expert was driven by robust semiconductor shipments within Asia, while Cathay Pharma reported notable growth from Europe and the mainland, it added.
