Cathay Group April passenger count rises 16.5%; cargo gains

This was supported by Easter and Golden Week travel demand.

Cathay Group reported Cathay Pacific carried 2.76 million passengers in April 2026, up 16.5% year on year (YoY), whilst cargo tonnage rose 8.2% to 144,341 tonnes and HK Express passenger numbers increased 4.9% to 729,846, according to its latest traffic update.

The latest figures reflected sustained growth from March March, when Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried 24% and 22% more passengers YoY, respectively, whilst cargo volumes rose 11%, despite ongoing Middle East-related route suspensions and higher jet fuel costs.

Cathay Pacific passenger traffic rose alongside a 15.4% increase in available seat kilometres (ASKs) and a 17.8% rise in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs).

Passenger load factor reached 88.2%, up 1.8 percentage points. For the first four months of 2026, passenger numbers increased 19% compared with the same period last year.

Cathay chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said demand in April was supported by Easter and Golden Week travel, as well as inbound traffic linked to events in Hong Kong including the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.

She also cited robust premium cabin demand from business travel linked to exhibitions and trade events in Hong Kong.

The group said it has extended the suspension of passenger services to Dubai and Riyadh until the end of August, with capacity redeployed to routes including Manchester and Rome.

It added that it remains on track to meet its 2026 passenger capacity growth target of around 10%.

Cathay Cargo reported a 7.4% increase in available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs) and a 7.2% rise in revenue freight tonne kilometres in April.

Cargo load factor was 58.2%, broadly unchanged YoY. Year-to-date cargo tonnage increased 7.8%.

Lau said cargo demand to the Americas remained solid, whilst volumes from South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa softened. She also highlighted growth in semiconductor shipments within Asia and technology-related exports from the Americas into Hong Kong.

HK Express recorded 7% growth in available seat kilometres and a 3% rise in revenue passenger kilometres in April. Passenger load factor fell 3.2 percentage points to 82%. Year-to-date passenger numbers increased 14% compared with the same period last year.