Cathay Pacific Releases May Traffic Figures

17 Jun 2002

Cathay Pacific Airways today released traffic figures for May 2002 showing good growth in cargo volumes and a smaller increase in its passenger business. The airline carried 972,925 passengers and 66,430 tonnes of cargo in May, up 2.1% and 21.0% respectively from the same month last year. Cumulative figures for the year to date show a 12.1% increase in cargo traffic and a small but positive 0.6% rise in the number of passengers who travelled with the airline. The passenger load factor was 74.4%, a 6.5% increase from May last year. Good traffic growth was seen on European, Southeast Asian and Middle East routes. Demand on trans-Pacific routes is recovering more slowly. The volume of cargo and mail carried, measured in cargo tonne kilometres, increased by 18.4%. Growth continues to be fuelled by strong demand for exports to the United States. The cargo load factor for the month was 69.5%, up 6.8% on May 2001. Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management, Sales & Distribution Ian Shiu said: "The surge in exports is sustaining the recovery in cargo volumes. Passenger traffic has also recovered but business travel demand remains relatively weak, and yields are still soft."

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Cathay Pacific Airways
Corporate Communication Department