Cathay Pacific and HK Express have achieved the milestone of operating more than 9,000 passenger flight sectors in a month for the first time since the start of the pandemic. In October 2023, Cathay Pacific carried 1,684,700 passengers, an increase of 320.2% compared to October 2022. The month's revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) increased 225.8% year on year, while the passenger load factor increased by 11.1 percentage points to 84.7%. The number of passengers carried increased by 887.4% in the first 10 months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
.gif)
The airline carried 124,469 tonnes of cargo in October 2023, an increase of 13.7% compared to October 2022. The cargo revenue tonne kilometers (RFTKs) increased 10.6% year on year, while the cargo load factor decreased by 8.3 percentage points to 60.7%. The tonnage increased by 19.4% against a 69.9% increase in AFTKs and a 47.6% increase in RFTKs, as compared to the same period for 2022.
Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said that the travel business continued to see good demand in October, with an increase in business travel due to exhibitions, conventions, and trade fairs in Hong Kong. The Chung Yeung Festival long weekend in Hong Kong also drove good leisure travel demand to various regional destinations. The resumption of Chicago service in the United States brought the number of destinations served in the United States to five.
Cathay Pacific and HK Express are on track to achieve their 2023 rebuild target, which includes operating 70% of pre-pandemic passenger flights covering about 80 destinations. They aim to be back to 95% of pre-pandemic passenger numbers by the end of 2023.