Cathay Pacific today released its traffic figures for July 2022. The airline’s traffic figures continued to reflect the positive impact of further adjustments to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.
The airline carried 100,714 tonnes of cargo last month, a decrease of 17.2% compared to July 2021, and a 40.7% decrease compared with the same period in 2019.
The month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) decreased 27.5% year-on-year, and were down 42.6% compared to July 2019.
The cargo load factor decreased by 10.8 percentage points to 71%, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs), was down by 16.4% year-on-year, and was down by 48.9% versus July 2019.
In the first seven months of 2022, the tonnage decreased by 6.6% against a 28.3% drop in capacity and a 34.2% decrease in RFTKs, as compared to the same period for 2021.
Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Ronald Lam said: “Cargo demand remained flat in many of our key markets in July as we entered the traditionally quieter summer months for air cargo.
“Tonnage decreased month on month across most markets, reflecting reduced cargo flight capacity due to weather related cancellations as well as ongoing operational restrictions which impacted the July schedule.
“The major impact of these challenges was seen on our Indian and the Americas routes, whilst capacity on our European routes grew marginally.
“Overall, our cargo volumes dipped by about 4% month on month against an approximately 7% decrease in capacity. We operated 51% of our pre-pandemic cargo flight capacity last month. Meanwhile, load factor was 71%.
”Regarding cargo, we expect to operate a full freighter schedule in August and going forward, complemented by regional cargo-only passenger flights and more belly capacity provided by our additional passenger services.
“However, long-haul cargo-only passenger flights will be limited. The situation involving cross-border trucking services between Shenzhen and Hong Kong remains uncertain, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt accordingly.
“We are cautiously optimistic about a solid seasonal winter peak season, although this is anticipated to be less pronounced than the one we experienced in 2021 in light of the current global economic environment.”
CATHAY PACIFIC TRAFFIC | JUL 2022 | %Change VS JUL 2021 | Cumulative JUL 2022 | %Change YTD |
| RPK (000) | ||||
| – Chinese Mainland | 44,605 | 114.5% | 182,108 | 124.7% |
| – North East Asia | 21,024 | 136.9% | 48,195 | 37.3% |
| – South East Asia | 91,744 | 380.5% | 193,883 | 74.7% |
| – South Asia, Middle East & Africa | 32,241 | 460.0% | 58,463 | 563.8% |
| – South West Pacific | 174,524 | 792.0% | 418,949 | 378.9% |
| – North America | 537,162 | 245.6% | 1,216,529 | 136.6% |
| – Europe | 434,402 | 535.3% | 1,027,221 | 314.6% |
| RPK Total (000) | 1,335,702 | 348.4% | 3,145,348 | 189.8% |
| Passengers carried | 219,746 | 306.2% | 555,208 | 162.8% |
| Cargo revenue tonne km (000) | 546,796 | -27.5% | 2,669,628 | -34.2% |
| Cargo carried (000kg) | 100,714 | -17.2% | 626,591 | -6.6% |
| Number of flights | 1,723 | 8.2% | 9,332 | 17.3% |
CATHAY PACIFIC CAPACITY | JUL 2022 | %Change VS JUL 2021 | Cumulative JUL 2022 | %Change YTD |
| ASK (000) | ||||
| – Chinese Mainland | 100,575 | 40.9% | 591,063 | 83.0% |
| – North East Asia | 75,357 | 43.0% | 178,733 | -38.1% |
| – South East Asia | 158,863 | 91.9% | 365,433 | -31.3% |
| – South Asia, Middle East & Africa | 65,893 | 135.4% | 133,478 | 176.9% |
| – South West Pacific | 248,629 | -11.6% | 729,164 | -40.0% |
| – North America | 674,713 | 83.2% | 1,611,118 | -22.6% |
| – Europe | 498,625 | 213.5% | 1,272,475 | 76.2% |
| ASK Total (000) | 1,822,655 | 74.6% | 4,881,464 | -6.3% |
| Passenger load factor | 73.3% | 44.7%pt | 64.4% | 43.6%pt |
| Available cargo tonne km (000) | 770,243 | -16.4% | 3,571,458 | -28.3% |
| Cargo load factor | 71.0% | -10.8%pt | 74.7% | -6.7%pt |
| ATK (000) | 944,872 | -7.4% | 4,038,948 | -26.2% |
