The Cathay Group released its traffic figures for September 2025 earlier today, 22nd October.
The ninth month of the year typically marks a quieter period for the aviation firm’s travel business following the end of the summer travel peak.
Nevertheless, the Cathay Group continued to see year-on-year growth in the total number of passengers carried throughout the month.
Group chief commercial officer Lavinia Lau declared: “Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried a combined total of over 2.7 million passengers, 20% more than September 2024. Meanwhile, heading into the traditional air cargo peak season in September, Cathay Cargo carried over 130,000 tonnes of cargo, slightly higher than the same period last year.”
Lau added that Cathay announced non-stop passenger flights between Hong Kong and Changsha last month, with flights taking off from 4th November.
This new route brings the Group’s overall Chinese Mainland network to 24 destinations.
Lau said: “Cathay Pacific is also increasing frequencies on other Chinese Mainland routes including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai this coming winter season, and as a Group we will be operating more than 330 return flights per week between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.”
September 2025 in the numbers
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific carried 21 percent more passengers in September 2025 compared with September 2024, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) increased by 20 percent.
In the first nine months of 2025, the number of passengers carried increased by 27 percent compared with the same period for 2024.
According to Lau: “As the busy summer travel months drew to a close, we saw a shift to the outbound student travel peak in September ahead of the new school year, with our outbound flights from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in particular achieving high load factors. Meanwhile, travel demand for Japan also rebounded strongly in September, with passenger volumes surpassing those of the same period last year supported by connecting traffic from our network. In addition, the load factor for our premium cabins reached the highest of any month so far this year, driven by various exhibitions in Hong Kong and fashion weeks in Milan and Paris. We also saw robust traffic from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia prior to the National Day holiday period.”
For now, demand is building up for Christmas and the year-end holidays, and Cathay Pacific will continue to add more flights and destinations in the coming months to give its customers greater choice and connectivity.
HK Express
HK Express carried close to 530,000 passengers in September 2025, an increase of 16 percent year on year, while Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) grew by 11 percent.
In the first nine months of 2025, the number of passengers carried increased by 31 percent compared with the same period for 2024.
Lau explained: “For HK Express, September was a quieter month after the summer peak, although we observed a stronger pick-up in demand towards the end of the month coinciding with the National Day holiday. On the airline’s Japan routes, although passengers carried surpassed that of the same period last year, demand has not yet caught up with capacity growth.”
Cathay Cargo
Cathay Cargo carried one percent more cargo in September 2025 than in September 2024, while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by four percent.
In the first nine months of 2025, the total tonnage increased by ten percent compared with the same period for 2024.
Lau said: “While tonnage in September declined against the previous month due to the impact of typhoons, it continued to rise year-on-year as a result of the additional capacity we provided. Our Cathay Expert and Dangerous Goods solutions also recorded double-digit growth, driven by machinery movements within Northeast Asia and exports of newly launched high-tech products from the Chinese Mainland and Southeast Asia.”
She added that the Group observed solid demand during the National Day holiday, added a new seasonal freighter service to Madrid, and is set to provide customers with more capacity to and from this important European market during the traditional peak months.