Students Returning to Hong Kong Boosted December Traffic for Cathay Pacific

Over 20 million people were transported by Cathay Pacific and its sister airline, HK Express, in the previous year as travellers escaped the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2023 performance was in contrast to the only three million passengers that both airlines carried over the preceding twelve months.

With 1.8 million passengers carried in December of the previous year, Cathay Pacific saw a 122% increase in passenger volume year over year.

In comparison to the same month in 2022, capacity expanded by 94%, while the passenger load factor dropped by two percentage points to 81.2%.

"The demand for travel from the United Kingdom was particularly strong as it coincided with the peak period for international students returning to Hong Kong," stated Lavinia Lau, chief customer and commercial officer.

“Furthermore, our seasonal Christchurch service, which resumed last month, was popular not only among Hong Kong customers but also stimulated transit traffic to and from the Philippines and the United Kingdom.”

She added, “As a group, we made significant progress in our rebuilding journey in 2023.

“As we look ahead to 2024, we remain committed to working towards fully rebuilding our flights, with the aim of delivering the high-quality and reliable services that Hong Kong deserves.

“Despite the ongoing challenges that are affecting the entire global aviation industry, we are prepared to face them, as always, with determination.

“The Lunar New Year is approaching, and this will mark another peak travel period when people celebrate and visit loved ones. We anticipate strong demand from late January until the end of the Lunar New Year holiday.

“Looking further ahead, we are also delighted to announce that our popular Barcelona service will resume in June, and we look forward to welcoming customers onboard.”