Dhaka: Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Wednesday (Oct 22) it carried 21pc more passengers in September 2025 compared with a year earlier, while available seat kilometres (ASKs) rose 20pc.

For the first nine months of 2025, passenger numbers increased 27pc year-on-year.

Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said September was typically a quieter period after the summer travel peak, but the group - including HK Express - carried over 2.7 million passengers, up 20pc from a year earlier.

Cathay Cargo carried more than 130,000 tonnes of cargo, slightly higher than the same month last year, ahead of the traditional air freight peak season.

The airline announced plans to launch non-stop passenger flights between Hong Kong and Changsha from Nov. 4, expanding its Chinese mainland network to 24 destinations. It will also increase frequencies to Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai this winter, operating more than 330 return flights per week between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Lau said outbound student travel to the United Kingdom achieved high load factors in September, while demand for Japan rebounded strongly. Premium cabin load factors reached the highest level of the year, supported by exhibitions in Hong Kong and fashion weeks in Milan and Paris.

Robust traffic was also seen from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia before the National Day holiday.

Cathay Cargo volumes rose 1pc year-on-year in September, while available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased 4pc.

For the first nine months of 2025, tonnage was up 10pc year-on-year.

Lau said September tonnage dipped from August due to typhoons but remained higher year-on-year, driven by growth in machinery shipments within Northeast Asia and exports of new high-tech products from the mainland and Southeast Asia.

She added that demand during the National Day holiday was solid, and Cathay had added a seasonal freighter service to Madrid to meet increased demand during the peak months.

-B

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