Lates traffic figures from Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific has just released its traffic figures for November 2022, which continued to reflect encouraging signs of recovery for the airline and the Hong Kong international aviation hub.

Cathay Pacific carried a total of 526,827 passengers last month, an increase of 652.1% compared with November 2021, but a 79.9% decrease compared with the pre-pandemic level in November 2019. The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 565.5% year-on-year, but were down 73.7% versus November 2019. Passenger load factor increased by 51.7 percentage points to 78.5%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by 127.2% year-on-year, but decreased by 73.1% compared with November 2019 levels. In the first 11 months of 2022, the number of passengers carried increased by 220.5% against a 33.9% increase in capacity and a 211.9% increase in RPKs, as compared with the same period for 2021.

The airline carried 103,092 tonnes of cargo last month, a decrease of 23.8% compared with November 2021, and a 42.1% decrease compared with the same period in 2019. The month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) decreased 27.8% year-on-year, and were down 38% compared with November 2019. The cargo load factor decreased by 15.6 percentage points to 66.9%, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs), decreased by 11% year-on-year, and was down by 36.4% versus November 2019. In the first 11 months of 2022, the tonnage decreased by 12.6% against a 20.7% decrease in capacity and a 30.6% decrease in RFTKs, as compared with the same period for 2021.

Travel

Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Ronald Lam said: “We continue to see positive signs for our travel business. Sentiment and demand for travel out of Hong Kong continued to improve in November. We also saw increased visiting friends and relatives (VFR) traffic into Hong Kong, particularly from long-haul origins such as North America, Europe and the South West Pacific. Transit traffic via the Hong Kong hub also improved as we grow our network of destinations.

“On average, we carried about 17,600 passengers a day in November, up from around 13,000 in October. Passenger flight capacity increased about 16% versus the previous month. Overall, we operated 27% of pre-pandemic capacity levels in November.

“We continued to add more flights to more destinations last month, in particular to and from popular places in Japan as well as Southeast Asia, which saw huge demand from Hong Kong. As expected, Japan was our top destination in terms of passenger numbers while load factor on these flights stayed high at 86%. November also saw the resumption of passenger flights to Denpasar (Bali), Tokyo (Haneda) and Zurich.

Cargo

“On the cargo side, demand remained flat in November compared with the previous month despite it being the start of the traditional peak cargo period. We carried 103,092 tonnes of cargo last month, approximately 6% less than in October, while cargo flight capacity was down about 2% in November compared with the previous month. Overall, we operated about 64% of pre-pandemic capacity levels.

“Production activities in the Chinese Mainland and trade flows remained constrained. While we did witness a mild uptick in e-commerce movements into the Americas around the Black Friday shopping period, a similar surge on regional lanes was more short-lived.

“Conversely, movements of perishable goods from South America as well as Australia and New Zealand were relatively active. As such, we operated five non-scheduled services from Darwin, Australia carrying fresh seasonal produce into North Asia to capitalise on this activity. 

“Building on the experience gained over the past few years and the evolving needs of the pharmaceutical industry, last month we refreshed our pharmaceuticals solution under a new name, Cathay Pharma. This has seen us enhance our customer proposition, making it easier for customers to identify all of the possible options for pharmaceutical shipments in a more streamlined way.” 

Outlook

Cathay Pacific welcomes the Hong Kong SAR Government’s latest measures to facilitate travel to Hong Kong, in particular the decision to remove the Amber Code restrictions under the Vaccine Pass for inbound persons entering Hong Kong effective today. The adjustments will help further boost sentiment for travel, especially among inbound visitors, thereby aiding the resumption of travel activities and strengthening of network connectivity at the Hong Kong aviation hub.

Lam said: “As we approach the festive Christmas and New Year holiday period, travel demand continues to improve. We are further increasing our passenger flight capacity and resuming more destinations, including Sapporo, Fukuoka, Penang and Dhaka in December, as well as Phuket and Nagoya in January next year. We expect that short-haul routes to leisure destinations such as Japan and Southeast Asia will remain strong, continuing on into the Chinese New Year holiday peak as well.

“We are also extremely excited for our customers to be able to experience our elevated, premium First class service again, which is now available on our prime London Heathrow flight, CX251/CX252. First class will be coming to our Paris flight, CX261/CX260, from 18 January 2023 and our Tokyo (Haneda) flight, CX548/CX549, from 1 February. Customers departing Haneda Airport can also enjoy our signature Cathay Pacific Lounge, which reopened earlier this month.

“Regarding cargo, our expanding passenger travel network will provide our cargo customers with more destinations and greater frequencies to choose from as well. However, we expect headwinds in the air cargo market to continue in the short term until supply chains in the Chinese Mainland become more stable and inventory levels in key consumer markets reduce.”

The full November figures and glossary are on the following pages.

CATHAY PACIFIC    TRAFFIC	NOV 2022	% Change VS NOV 2021	Cumulative NOV 2022	% Change YTD
RPK (000)
- Chinese Mainland	53,816	150.2%	429,520	55.5%
- North East Asia	245,551	3,704.2%	478,396	625.6%
- South East Asia	270,586	858.5%	835,108	307.4%
- South Asia, Middle East  & Africa	127,425	1,559.2%	358,925	829.5%
- South West Pacific	394,953	690.2%	1,419,388	652.7%
- North America	781,031	359.1%	4,241,903	144.6%
- Europe	743,137	580.7%	3,296,724	217.7%
RPK Total (000)	2,616,499	565.5%	11,059,964	211.9%
Passengers carried	526,827	652.1%	2,002,696	220.5%
Cargo revenue tonne km (000)	619,556	-27.8%	5,128,117	-30.6%
Cargo carried (000kg)	103,092	-23.8%	1,048,015	-12.6%
Number of flights	1,849	-12.2%	16,611	4.2%

 

CATHAY PACIFIC    CAPACITY	NOV 2022	% Change VS NOV 2021	Cumulative NOV 2022	% Change YTD
ASK (000)
- Chinese Mainland	127,912	55.5%	1,085,875	51.0%
- North East Asia	294,494	545.9%	849,799	72.5%
- South East Asia	395,516	301.5%	1,420,589	51.2%
- South Asia, Middle East  & Africa	179,042	797.8%	612,393	372.8%
- South West Pacific	476,134	1.3%	2,023,860	-26.1%
- North America	932,994	138.6%	5,709,490	32.2%
- Europe	928,774	157.5%	3,906,261	68.5%
ASK Total (000)	3,334,866	127.2%	15,608,267	33.9%
Passenger load factor	78.5%	51.7%pt	70.9%	40.4%pt
Available cargo tonne km (000)	925,416	-11.0%	7,221,601	-20.7%
Cargo load factor	66.9%	-15.6%pt	71.0%	-10.1%pt
ATK (000)	1,243,891	5.5%	8,715,910	-14.7%

 

Glossary

Terms:

Available seat kilometres (“ASK”)

Passenger seat capacity, measured in seats available for the carriage of passengers on each sector multiplied by the sector distance.

Available tonne kilometres (“ATK”)

Overall capacity measured in tonnes available for the carriage of passengers, excess baggage, cargo on each sector multiplied by the sector distance.

Available cargo tonne kilometres (“AFTK”)

Cargo capacity measured in tonnes available for the carriage of freight on each sector multiplied by the sector distance.

Revenue passenger kilometres (“RPK”)

Number of passengers carried on each sector multiplied by the sector distance.

Cargo revenue tonne kilometres (“RFTK”)

Amount of cargo, measured in tonnes, carried on each sector multiplied by the sector distance.

Cathay Pacific’s First class is back

 As Cathay Pacific continues to add more flights and more destinations for its customers, the airline’s elevated First class service is also making its much-anticipated return, initially on select flights to and from London Heathrow followed by Paris and Tokyo (Haneda) over the coming months.

Since 5 and 6 December, customers can now travel First class with Cathay Pacific on the airline’s prime daily London Heathrow flight, CX251/CX252 respectively. This coincides with the addition of even more flight frequencies to and from London Heathrow.

First class will then be returning to Cathay Pacific’s Paris flight CX261/CX260 from 18 January 2023, followed by its Tokyo (Haneda) flight CX548/CX549 from 1 February 2023.

General Manager Customer Experience and Design Vivian Lo said: “We are extremely excited to be bringing back our First class service after an extended absence as the world’s appetite for travel comes roaring back. We know our customers have been eagerly anticipating being able to fly First class with us again, and we are delighted to be offering it on routes that we know are incredibly popular with them.

“We are very proud of the elevated First class experience we provide, which has been thoughtfully curated to offer our customers a bespoke journey centred on enjoying inspired flavours, calming fragrances and refined textures whenever they travel. We very much look forward to welcoming our First class customers on board and delivering the very best of what Cathay Pacific has to offer.”

A celebratory cellar

To mark the return of its First class service, Cathay Pacific is introducing a celebratory limited edition Krug 2004 Vintage Champagne from the House of Krug as well as a special celebratory edition of Blanc de Lynch-Bages 2018 and Château Lynch-Bages 2000 – both superb vintages from Bordeaux. Available in First class on flights to and from London in December, this special offering celebrates Cathay Pacific’s long-standing partnerships with House of Krug and Château Lynch-Bages, with whom it has partnered since 1986 and 1989, respectively.

In addition to the airline’s extensive wine cellar, beverage options also include teas from JING, cold pressed juices from Bless and the airline’s own Betsy craft beer produced by expert Hong Kong brewery, Gweilo Beer.

A fresh take on fine dining

Cathay Pacific’s First class service allows customers to dine at their preferred time choosing from a wide variety of fresh flavours and contemporary dishes that include not just hearty favourites, but more nutritious wellness options and authentic Hong Kong dishes.

The airline has sourced some of the best ingredients from producers that support sustainable and ethical practices. This includes award-winning pork from Dingley Dell Farm, certified sustainable Nordic Skrei cod, organic free-range eggs from Sunny Queen Farms in Australia, and more.

Customers flying First class from Hong Kong before 31 December will also be able to enjoy Cathay Pacific's special Christmas-themed menus.

The First class dining service is complemented by contemporary tableware, including chinaware from Noritake, cutlery from Robert Welch and restaurant-range wine glasses from Riedel.

Soft bedding and premium amenities

Cathay Pacific has also partnered with Bamford to provide First class passengers with exquisite bedding and amenities, including 600-thread-count sustainably sourced cotton bedlinen, men’s and women’s natural skincare products, and amenity kits.

Customers can also select their choice of pillow from the pillow menu and when they are ready for their turndown service, cabin crew will transform their space into the softest bed in the sky. This starts with laying down their mattress and duvet, followed by their pillow of choice with lavender-scented Bamford Pillow Mist. A cotton sleep suit, slippers and eye mask from Hong Kong brand PYE completes the sensory experience.

Superior service

To offer customers an even more elevated First class experience, Cathay Pacific has its Premium Ambassador programme. Working with Hong Kong hotel The Upper House, the programme provides specialised hospitality training for Cathay Pacific’s cabin crew to enable them to become ambassadors for its elevated First class offering.

All these elements come together to relax the mind, body and spirit, and give customers a complete, personalised journey as lavish as any experience they would enjoy on the ground.