Cathay Pacific Releases Combined Traffic Figures for July 2016

Cathay Pacific Airways today released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for July 2016 that show an increase in both the number of passengers carried and the amount of cargo and mail uplifted compared to the same month last year.

Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried a total of 3,070,815 passengers last month - an increase of 2.9% compared to July 2015. The passenger load factor was flat at 87.0% while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), grew by 2.6%. In the first seven months of 2016, the number of passengers carried rose by 2.7% compared to a 4.0% increase in capacity.

The two airlines carried 158,022 tonnes of cargo and mail in July, an increase of 7.1% compared to the same month last year. The cargo and mail load factor rose by 2.9 percentage points to 64.7%. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, rose by 1.2% while cargo and mail revenue tonne kilometres (RTKs) increased by 5.8%. In the first seven months of 2016, the tonnage carried rose by 0.8% against a 0.7% increase in capacity and a 1.1% drop in RTKs.

Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management Patricia Hwang said: "July was a busy month for our passenger business as it marked the beginning of the summer peak period, and we saw high passenger loads across the network. The recovery in demand on Korean routes, which dropped significantly last year due to MERS, continued. Demand on routes to Japan, however, softened, reflecting the continuing appreciation of the Japanese yen. Traffic on European routes on the other hand was affected by recent security concerns. Yield remains under intense pressure due to volatile currency markets and strong competition."

Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing Mark Sutch said: "Helped by strong perishable exports from the Americas, the overall tonnage for July remained healthy, although revenues continue to be affected by dampened yields. We saw month-end pick-up and a stronger feed out of our home market and Southeast Asia. Demand to both the Americas and India was strong, while we were able to capture more exports out of mainland China due to a reduction in the overall market capacity. The business environment remains challenging, but we have seen a growth in demand for special products and we will continue to diversify."