The Cathay Group has reported steady year-on-year growth in both its passenger and cargo operations for September 2025, reflecting continued recovery across the global air logistics sector.
Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried a combined total of over 2.7 million passengers, up 20% compared with September 2024. Meanwhile, Cathay Cargo carried over 130,000 tonnes of cargo, slightly higher than the same period last year as the airline entered the traditional peak freight season.
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said:
“September typically marks a quieter period for our travel business following the end of the summer travel peak, though we continued to see year-on-year growth in the number of passengers carried as a Group. 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.”
“In September, Cathay Pacific also announced non-stop passenger flights between Hong Kong and Changsha starting 4 November 2025, bringing the Group’s overall Chinese Mainland network to 24 destinations. 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.”
Cargo Performance
Cathay Cargo carried 1% more cargo in September 2025 than in the same month last year, while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 4%. In the first nine months of 2025, total tonnage increased 10% year-on-year.
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.
Looking at October and beyond, we observed solid demand during the National Day holiday. We have also added a new seasonal freighter service to Madrid, providing customers with more capacity to and from this important European market during the traditional peak months.”
Wider Logistics Context
Cathay’s results reflect a broader stabilisation in global air cargo markets, as manufacturing output and e-commerce volumes continue to underpin freight demand across Asia. With Hong Kong acting as a major regional logistics hub, Cathay’s network expansion and investment in specialist cargo services position it to capture ongoing growth in high-tech, machinery and time-sensitive exports.
Across the first nine months of 2025, the Cathay Group reported 27% passenger growth and 10% cargo tonnage growth compared with the same period in 2024, suggesting continued strength in Asia’s aviation and logistics recovery.
