Cathay Group says passenger demand is back in full swing, revealing that its airlines carried more than 3.2 million travellers in October 2025—up 29 % year-on-year and 21 % versus September. Load factor across Cathay Pacific and HK Express hit an October record of 86 % as the National Day ‘Golden Week’, Canton Fair and other exhibitions stoked both leisure and premium-cabin demand.
Cargo volumes also impressed: the carrier moved 150,000 tonnes in October, a 12 % month-on-month rise, helped by resilient cross-border e-commerce flows out of the Greater Bay Area. Available Freight-Tonne Kilometres grew 8 %, signalling capacity discipline despite strong yields.
![Cathay Group Reports Surging October Traffic and Adds More Mainland, Oceania Flights]()
Looking ahead, Cathay Pacific has launched daily non-stop flights to Changsha and reinstated seasonal Adelaide services, while low-cost arm HK Express will open Kota Kinabalu later this month. During the winter peak the Group will run about 330 weekly returns to the Chinese mainland, 100 to Oceania and 430 to Southeast Asia. Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said bookings for Christmas are “significantly ahead” of 2024 and that premium-cabin demand from North America and Europe remains robust.
For global mobility managers, the rebound means greater seat availability, more city-pairs from Hong Kong and potentially stabilising fares as capacity returns. The cargo uptick is also relevant for companies shipping time-sensitive high-value components out of Hong Kong’s free-port.
Cathay continues to ramp up recruitment and training to restore pre-pandemic service levels, aligning with Hong Kong’s wider labour-import schemes aimed at rebuilding the aviation workforce. The Group expects to hit 80 % of 2019 capacity by mid-2026, underpinned by its orderbook of Airbus A321neos, A321P2F freighters and Boeing 777-X wide-bodies.
Cargo volumes also impressed: the carrier moved 150,000 tonnes in October, a 12 % month-on-month rise, helped by resilient cross-border e-commerce flows out of the Greater Bay Area. Available Freight-Tonne Kilometres grew 8 %, signalling capacity discipline despite strong yields.
Looking ahead, Cathay Pacific has launched daily non-stop flights to Changsha and reinstated seasonal Adelaide services, while low-cost arm HK Express will open Kota Kinabalu later this month. During the winter peak the Group will run about 330 weekly returns to the Chinese mainland, 100 to Oceania and 430 to Southeast Asia. Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said bookings for Christmas are “significantly ahead” of 2024 and that premium-cabin demand from North America and Europe remains robust.
For global mobility managers, the rebound means greater seat availability, more city-pairs from Hong Kong and potentially stabilising fares as capacity returns. The cargo uptick is also relevant for companies shipping time-sensitive high-value components out of Hong Kong’s free-port.
Cathay continues to ramp up recruitment and training to restore pre-pandemic service levels, aligning with Hong Kong’s wider labour-import schemes aimed at rebuilding the aviation workforce. The Group expects to hit 80 % of 2019 capacity by mid-2026, underpinned by its orderbook of Airbus A321neos, A321P2F freighters and Boeing 777-X wide-bodies.
