Cathay Pacific August passengers rise 5.4% on leisure and student demand

Passenger numbers rose 15% in the first eight months as cargo volumes climbed 9%.

Cathay Pacific carried over 2.8 million passengers in August, up 5.4% year-on-year (YoY), Cathay Group reported in its latest traffic update.

In the first eight months of 2026, passenger numbers increased 15% YoY, alongside a 3% rise in available seat kilometres (ASKs).

Cathay Group attributed the robust demand to leisure travel from Hong Kong and the Mainland to short-haul destinations, as well as strong student traffic to North America and the UK ahead of the new school year.

Cathay Cargo also recorded growth, carrying 9% more cargo YoY, whilst available freight tonne kilometres increased by 1%, supported by strong semiconductor shipments within Asia.

In the first eight months of 2026, the total tonnage increased by 8% YoY.

Meanwhile, HK Express carried more than 790,000 passengers, down 0.8% year-on-year, whilst ASKs increased by 3.3%.

In the first eight months of 2026, its passenger count increased by 8.3% YoY.