The post Cathay Pacific releases traffic figures for March 2024 appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Brand TD.
Cathay Pacific released its traffic figures for March 2024, which showed strong demand for travel from Hong Kong driven by the Easter holiday period, and travel to Hong Kong supported by the various exhibitions and events held in the city.
Cathay Pacific carried a total of 1,883,404 passengers in March 2024, an increase of 42.4% compared with March 2023. The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 38.1% year on year. Passenger load factor decreased by 6.6 percentage points to 83.8%, while available seat kilometres (ASKs) increased by 48.9% year on year. In the first three months of 2024, the number of passengers carried increased by 55.7% to a total of 5,401,778, against a 56.4% increase in ASKs and a 47.7% increase in RPKs, as compared with the same period for 2023.
The airline carried 134,551 tonnes of cargo in March 2024, an increase of 10.5% compared with March 2023. The month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 4.1% year on year. The cargo load factor decreased by 4.3 percentage points to 62.7%, while available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 11.2% year on year. In the first three months of 2024, the tonnage increased by 11.1% to a total of 356,380 tonnes, against a 15.2% increase in AFTKs and a 6.2% increase in RFTKs, as compared with the same period for 2023.
Travel
Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “Our travel business performed well in March with healthy demand across our services both leading up to and during the Easter holiday period. Student traffic from the United Kingdom was particularly strong ahead of Easter, and outbound and return traffic in general surged over the holidays.
“Demand in the premium cabins both to and from Hong Kong also remained strong. This was driven by the various exhibitions and trade shows that took place in the city in March, most notably the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show and Art Basel. We were also pleased to resume our direct flights between Bangkok and Singapore in March, which have been popular with customers.
Cargo
“Cargo demand was stronger in March, with our tonnage up by 26% compared with the previous month and up by 11% compared to March 2023. Cargo demand out of Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland picked up quickly after factories re-opened following the Chinese New Year holidays, and we observed an increase in e-commerce and express shipments due to the end-of-quarter rush.
Outlook
“Looking ahead to the Chinese Mainland’s forthcoming Labour Day ‘Golden Week’ holiday period, we are seeing a healthy increase in travel demand from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong, as well as to regional destinations via the Hong Kong hub. We will be increasing our Chinese Mainland frequencies to around 200 round-trip flights per week as a Group during the Golden Week to cater for this strong demand.
“In terms of cargo, we expect e-commerce demand to remain strong and for overall air cargo demand to be stable on long-haul routes.
“As the largest cargo operator at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), we also congratulate HKIA on once again being named the world’s busiest cargo airport in 2023 – a status it has held for 13 of the past 14 years. We are extremely proud to be part of this incredible success story, and remain committed to continuing to work together with all stakeholders to further grow Hong Kong as the world’s leading air cargo hub.”
The full March figures and glossary.
CATHAY PACIFIC TRAFFIC
MAR
% Change
Cumulative
%
Change
2024
VS MAR 2023
MAR 2024
YTD
RPK (000)
– Chinese Mainland
349,177
34.9%
1,036,670
73.8%
– North East Asia
1,034,193
49.5%
3,013,798
62.7%
– South East Asia
960,926
32.3%
2,708,245
39.7%
– South Asia, Middle East & Africa
513,135
111.7%
1,341,885
110.2%
– South West Pacific
1,019,602
57.9%
3,274,007
56.6%
– North America
2,200,702
51.3%
6,223,386
57.4%
– Europe
1,506,807
2.4%
4,285,048
14.5%
RPK Total (000)
7,584,543
38.1%
21,883,039
47.7%
Passengers carried
1,883,404
42.4%
5,401,778
55.7%
Cargo revenue tonne km (000)
759,758
4.1%
2,032,876
6.2%
Cargo carried (000kg)
134,551
10.5%
356,380
11.1%
Number of flight sectors (passenger and cargo)
9,389
41.6%
26,717
49.4%
CATHAY PACIFIC CAPACITY
MAR
% Change
Cumulative
%
Change
2024
VS MAR 2023
MAR 2024
YTD
ASK (000)
– Chinese Mainland
522,713
49.4%
1,421,296
64.5%
– North East Asia
1,320,707
65.0%
3,966,885
73.2%
– South East Asia
1,197,245
40.7%
3,438,200
49.3%
– South Asia, Middle East & Africa
619,907
115.2%
1,673,625
119.6%
– South West Pacific
1,353,118
79.2%
4,140,214
67.0%
– North America
2,372,447
58.1%
6,931,531
66.7%
– Europe
1,660,523
8.6%
4,788,298
19.8%
ASK Total (000)
9,046,659
48.9%
26,360,048
56.4%
Passenger load factor
83.8%
-6.6%pt
83.0%
-4.9%pt
Available cargo tonne km (000)
1,212,691
11.2%
3,373,525
15.2%
Cargo load factor
62.7%
-4.3%pt
60.3%
-5.1%pt
ATK (000)
2,073,816
24.2%
5,883,077
29.7%
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