Cathay Pacific is amongst top leaders in international seat capacity

The airline carried over 28 million passengers, reflecting a 30.7% YoY growth.

Cathay Pacific is amongst the top leaders in international seat capacity, according to OAG’s latest Asia-Pacific (APAC) Aviation report.

Along with Cathay Pacific are Singapore Airlines and Eastern China.

In 2024, Cathay Pacific carried over 28 million passengers, reflecting 30.7% year-on-year (YoY) growth.

Meanwhile, its low-cost subsidiary, HK Express, emerged as the fastest-growing airline, increasing its flight operations by 46% compared to the previous year.

The report said, “As the Group’s airlines reach 100% of pre-pandemic flight capacity from January 2025, they remain committed to enhancing Hong Kong’s position as a premier international aviation hub by expanding their network and services for both passengers and cargo as they strive towards reaching 100 destinations worldwide in 2025.”

Additionally, of the 20 international routes in APAC analysed, all except for the Hong Kong-Shanghai (HKG-PVG) have a Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) score of less than 3,000.

Although this would typically be considered in other industries as highly concentrated compared to other industries, it shows a higher level of competition when compared to the European and North American markets.

The APAC region has achieved 594.8 million seats, making it the second-largest international aviation market globally. Moreover, it is on track to solidify its position as the world’s most competitive aviation market in 2025, having surpassed 2019’s total capacity by 0.5% in 2024.