Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried a combined total of over 2.7 million passengers last month, up by 20 percent from a year ago.
But the figure was nearly 16 percent lower than the previous month following the end of the summer travel peak, Cathay Pacific Airways (0293) said.
Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific carried 21 percent more passengers to nearly 2.2 million in September, bringing the total passengers number in the first nine months of the year to 21 million, up by 27 percent from a year ago.
As the busy summer travel months drew to a close, the airline saw a shift to the outbound student travel peak in September ahead of the new school year, with its outbound flights from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in particular achieving high load factors, Cathay said.
The load factor for its premium cabins reached the highest of any month so far this year, driven by various exhibitions in Hong Kong and fashion weeks in Milan and Paris, the airline said, adding that travel demand for Japan also rebounded strongly in the month.
Looking ahead, Cathay expects demand to be building up for Christmas and the year-end holidays.
Budget airline HK Express carried more than 530,000 passengers in September 2025, an increase of 16 percent year-on-year.
In the first nine months of 2025, the number of passengers carried increased by 31 percent compared with the same period for 2024.
Although passenger numbers witnessed a growth on its Japan routes, demand has not yet caught up with capacity growth, HK Express said.
On the cargo front, Cathay Cargo carried 1 percent more cargo last month than a year ago, with tonnage declining against the previous month due to the impact of typhoons.
Still, Cathay said it observed solid demand during the National Day holiday and has also added a new seasonal freighter service to Madrid, providing customers with more capacity to and from this important European market during the traditional peak months.
