Cathay Pacific resumes Christchurch-Hong Kong service

Hong Kong’s home carrier returns to the garden city with seasonal service

Hong Kong's home carrier, Cathay Pacific says it will restart seasonal service to Christchurch from its home base on 16th December..  The route will be operated three flights per week with the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with a three cabin configuration of Economy, Premium Economy and Business class. Flights will depart Christchurch on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in Hong Kong the same night.  

The seasonal restart is Cathay Pacific’s first since the pandemic. It will prove a welcome boost to the Christchurch and South Island regions, particularly tourism operators and exporters, as well as those looking to connect with friends and family in Asia, Europe and beyond.  

Cathay Pacific Acting Regional Head of Southwest Pacific Sandeep Pillay welcomed the announcement saying it was great news for those in the region and the airline. He said:  “Cathay Pacific has been flying to New Zealand for 40 years and we are proud to be returning to Christchurch. Resuming our non-stop Christchurch to Hong Kong service is a significant milestone in the rebuilding of Cathay Pacific’s connectivity. We know it’s a popular route and one we really value. In fact, it’s the first seasonal route we’ve reinstated since the pandemic.  

“The connectivity it will provide from the South Island to Hong Kong and beyond will be a huge boost to the region during the peak summer months. We look forward to welcoming passengers back to experience and enjoy flying with Cathay Pacific.” 

Cathay Pacific sack three staff over carpet-blanket mixup

The Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific is understood to have sacked three staff that were involved in an incident on a recent flight between Chengdu to Hong Kong last Sunday. 

A passenger on the flight wrote an online post about how the cabin crew of CX987 criticised and made fun of passengers who were asking for a carpet instead of a blanket in English.  The passenger said flight attendants complained about passengers amongst themselves in English and Cantonese.  "If you cannot say blanket in English, you cannot have it ... Carpet is on the floor. Feel free if you want to lie on it," one flight attendant told passengers, in an audio recording that was widely circulated on social media. 

Cathay's  CEO Ronald Lam said the airline had a "zero tolerance" policy to breaches of the carrier's rules and ethics.  "I would like to reiterate that Cathay Pacific takes a 'zero tolerance' approach to serious violations of company rules and ethics by individual employees and will not tolerate them," He continued that he would lead a cross-departmental working group to conduct a comprehensive review of service processes, staff training and related systems to enhance its service quality.

Lam added: "Most importantly, we must ensure that all Cathay Pacific staff respect passengers from different backgrounds and cultures and provide professional and consistent service in all areas served." 

Even Hong Kong's chief executive got involved, John Lee, commented on social media that the discrimination incident was serious and could not be repeated - "The words and deeds of the flight attendants hurt the feelings of compatriots in Hong Kong and the mainland and destroyed Hong Kong's traditional culture and values of respect and courtesy."

Free air tickets to Hong Kong available to U.S. travellers on 17th May

Hong Kong is ready to welcome global visitors with its recent "Hello Hong Kong" promotional campaign, launched in February. This initiative represents the city's enthusiastic outreach to international tourists. To entice travellers, the Hong Kong Airport Authority is offering 500,000 complimentary air tickets across various markets.

In the U.S. market, tickets are distributed through Cathay Pacific. Although the base fare is waived, U.S. passengers are still responsible for airport fees and taxes.

Limited Tickets Are Available

A limited number of round-trip economy class tickets to Hong Kong will be offered in the U.S. beginning May 17 at 5:00 PM PDT/8:00 PM EDT. There is a limit of one ticket per transaction while supplies last.

For a chance to access the tickets, U.S. visitors need to sign up at the Cathay Pacific website to receive their unique code on 17th May to claim this limited-time offer.

Travellers are responsible for taxes, airport fees and other charges.

To learn more about Hello Hong Kong, click here.

One Million Hong Kong Goodies Vouchers for Visitors to Enjoy Citywide Perks

Aside from air tickets, the HKTB, in collaboration with the tourism and hospitality sectors, has assembled an array of enticing deals from over 16,000 outlets across the city to welcome back visitors. Initially, at least 1 million "Hong Kong Goodies" visitor consumption vouchers are being distributed by HKTB’ s designated channels. These vouchers include complimentary welcome drinks at participating bars, restaurants, and hotels, or cash vouchers redeemable in the transportation, culinary, and retail sectors, as well as at various attractions.

Showcasing Hong Kong's New Experiences and Events

40 years of connecting Hong Kong and New Zealand.......

Cathay Pacific marks 40 years of 

New Zealand connectivity

Cathay Pacific celebrated 40 years of services between Hong Kong and New Zealand.  

On 4 May 1983, a Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-200 aircraft touched down in Auckland for the first time, marking the airline’s inaugural commercial flight to New Zealand. The state-of-the-art aircraft, fitted with 35 First Class, 36 Business Class and 337 Economy Class seats, helped to connect millions of Kiwis to the rest of the world.  

At the controls of the first flight was New Zealander Captain Ian Steven, then a senior check captain with the airline. 

Forty years later, the Hong Kong-Auckland service remains very important to the airline, which currently operates three flights per week on the popular route.  

Dominic Perret, Cathay Pacific’s Regional General Manager for Southeast Asia & Southwest Pacific, welcomed the 40-year anniversary and reiterated the airline's commitment to New Zealand.  

“This is a significant milestone for us. New Zealand is a market that has played an integral role in our history and remains as important as ever,” says Perret. 

“We’re grateful to the many passengers who have flown with us over the past 40 years and for the fantastic working relationship we have with our joint alliance partner, Air New Zealand. Long may it continue.” 

Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand have a relationship that goes right back to 1983. Originally there was also a third operator in the mix, Papua New Guinea flag carrier Air Niugini. The route operated as a tripartite agreement with the three airlines and involved a brief stopover in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, before carrying on to Hong Kong’s famous Kai Tak Airport. 

The airport holds a special place in aviation history for its dramatic and challenging approach, with pilots having to navigate sharp turns and high-rise apartment blocks where passengers were able to see directly into residents’ flats. Similar to Wellington or Queenstown airports, clear visibility and gentle winds were essential for a smooth landing. The airport finally closed in 1998 after the build of Chek Lap Kok, what is now known as Hong Kong International Airport, was completed.  

Cathay Pacific launches 'Cathay' - e-envisaged travel lifestyle magazine

‘Cathay’ – a magazine that is a true reflection of lifestyle through a travel lens, encompassing every pillar of Cathay’s premium travel lifestyle proposition

The Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific has introduced a fully reimagined travel lifestyle magazine for its customers, designed to bring them inspirational content whether they are in the air or on the ground.

Titled “Cathay”, the re-envisaged magazine exemplifies Cathay’s evolution into a premium travel lifestyle brand, with sections dedicated to our home hub of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, as well as travel and holidays, wellness, dining and shopping.  

Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “We know that our customers want and expect to be able to enjoy a travel lifestyle magazine when they fly with us, and we are delighted to reintroduce a refreshed publication that encapsulates everything we want to bring them, every day – inspiration, delight and discovery.

“Our purpose is to move people forward in life by connecting them to meaningful people, places and experiences. Through the content we share, we want Cathay to become a brand that people refer to on a daily basis, for inspiration and advice on the premium travel lifestyle.”

The theme of the first issue is “Reconnection”, as Cathay focuses on reconnecting Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and the Chinese Mainland with the world. The stories in this issue encapsulate the sense of connection through a wide range of approaches. The magazine launches with a series of inspiring travel covers of stunning aerial views of cities, each of which inspires more travel.

Readers of Cathay can look forward to content across the magazine’s dedicated sections.

Hong Kong & the GBA showcases what is new and thrilling in our extended home market.

Explore (Travel and Hotels) is a celebration of the joy of travel and the travel lifestyle, providing content exploring destinations across our route network that makes customers want to book a flight.

Dining brings together all aspects of one of the most important aspects of lifestyle, showcasing food and beverage across the Cathay route network, and highlighting must-book restaurants, cutting-edge chefs as well as lifestyle rewards and retail offers.

Wellness covers all aspects of mindful travel, wellness and sustainability – plus how Cathay can help customers live a healthier, better life.

Shopping is a lavishly shot section of the magazine, which directs readers to must-have products available through the Cathay shop.

The Cathay Way speaks to how we do what we do, whether that be an insider’s look at our fleet, our achievements, our safety and hygiene, or the benefits of the Cathay membership programme and how members can maximise their earning and burning potential.

Inflight Entertainment provides intelligent and engaging writing about our inflight entertainment, giving customers a look into the extensive onboard library of new Hollywood releases, Asian cinema classics, award-winning TV boxsets, the latest albums, podcasts, games and HBO Max.

The Cathay magazine is printed using eco-friendly vegetable oil ink on environmentally responsible and ethically produced paper certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Once we replace the magazines, we ensure that they are properly recycled by our contractors.

Cathay Pacific leading the way to go Greener Together by planting 20,000 mangrove trees in Southeast Asia - 1 ticket = 1 tree....

Cathay Pacific will be planting 20,000 mangrove trees in Southeast Asia this year, to honour its commitment to plant a tree for every flight ticket purchased in the region during the 1 Ticket, 1 Tree campaign held in November 2022. 

To commemorate Earth Day, which falls on 22 April 2023, volunteers comprising Cathay Pacific employees, trade agents and other partners will be gathering at various mangrove forests across Southeast Asia in April and May to kickstart the planting of mangrove trees in their respective countries. One of the first planting sites is in Hagonoy, Bulacan in the Philippines, where 8,000 mangrove trees will be planted. The remaining 12,000 trees will be planted in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Fostering stronger partnerships to go “Greener Together” and leading the way towards a more sustainable future is a central theme of Cathay Pacific’s sustainability efforts. Aligned with this, 1 Ticket, 1 Tree was launched in Thailand in 2021, with the aim of supporting local communities, restoring local habitats and driving climate resilience. The campaign was rolled out to the whole of Southeast Asia in 2022, with the airline committing to plant a tree for every ticket purchased from the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore. The airline is working with local environment and community partners for the tree-planting effort.

Cathay Cargo brings automation and shipment visibility to postal shipments with Cathay Mail

New digital solution provides a superior customer experience for post offices

Cathay Cargo has enhanced its integrated mail platform with Cathay Mail, a refined digital solution that re-envisages the mail-shipment process, generating greater transparency for post offices and providing the track-and-trace visibility their customers expect.

With Cathay Mail, Cathay Cargo is able to provide a superior customer experience that better caters to the requirements of post offices for shipment visibility, reliability and speed.

Director Cargo Tom Owen said: “Cathay Mail highlights how we have adapted technology and digitalisation to offer real benefits to our customers. By fully integrating mail-handling functions with our cargo operations and expertise, our innovative new mail solution provides a sophisticated suite of tools and facilities to support our postal partners.”

Cathay Cargo’s refreshed “mail as cargo” solution integrates mail-handling data with air cargo systems using the PAWB – the postal air waybill. This use of electronic data interchange (EDI) technology removes much of the previous shipment paperwork and gives both origin and destination post offices, and designated operators, more visibility of shipments down to mail bag (or “receptacle”) level, allowing them to offer package-level track-and-trace visibility to e-commerce shippers.

The information also enables Cathay Cargo to manage capacity against actual volumes of mail on flights, so it can make allowances for surges in ad hoc demand, or make unused space available for other cargo.

Cathay Pacific collaborates with State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) to develop Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supply chain

Forging a strategic partnership with SPIC to support SAF production in the Chinese Mainland

Cathay Pacific has teamed up with the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) to drive the further development of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supply chain in China. SPIC is one of the largest state-owned energy companies in the Chinese Mainland and a company with the world’s largest solar power installed capacity.

SPIC and Cathay Pacific have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering four SAF plants under SPIC. Witnessed by SPIC Chairman Qian Zhimin and Vice President Chen Haibin, Cathay Pacific Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam, and Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer-designate Alex McGowan, the MoU was signed by SPIC International Finance (HK) Co. Ltd. Chairman Yin Guoping and Cathay Pacific General Manager Corporate Affairs Andy Wong at Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong headquarters.

SPIC Chairman Qian Zhimin said: “The signing of our cooperation pact is an important milestone in SPIC’s sustainable development pursuits, and a significant contribution by a Chinese enterprise towards supporting sustainable development in the global aviation sector. We hope both parties can build on our collaboration in the certification and purchase of SAF to further cooperate in areas pertaining to the industry supply chain, project development and securing the necessary policy support.”

Cathay Pacific releases traffic figures for February 2023

Cathay Pacific has just released its traffic figures for February 2023, as the airline’s positive momentum at the start of the year continued and a number of exciting new developments were introduced in its cargo business.

Cathay Pacific carried a total of 1,114,727 passengers last month, an increase of 3,467% compared with February 2022. The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 4,720% year-on-year. Passenger load factor increased by 38.6 percentage points to 86.2%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by 2,562% year-on-year. In the first two months of 2023, the number of passengers carried increased by 3,737% against a 2,071% increase in capacity and a 4,227% increase in RPKs, as compared with the same period for 2022.

The airline carried 103,932 tonnes of cargo last month, an increase of 59.6% compared with February 2022, when our cargo capacity was significantly reduced due to stricter aircrew quarantine measures. The month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 153.9% year-on-year. The cargo load factor decreased by 13.7 percentage points to 66.7%, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs), increased by 206.1% year-on-year. In the first two months of 2023, the tonnage increased by 42.8% against a 201.3% increase in capacity and a 147.4% increase in RFTKs, as compared with the same period for 2022.

Travel

Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “We are pleased to see that our positive start to 2023 continued in February. Passenger numbers further improved after the Lunar New Year holidays; we carried more than 1.1 million passengers last month averaging almost 40,000 per day. We continued to add more flights and destinations, with February seeing passenger flight capacity increase about 6% month-on-month as well as the resumption of our Wenzhou flights.

“Travel demand overall remained strong across our network, especially traffic to and from the Chinese Mainland via the Hong Kong hub. We also saw strong demand on our Taipei and Kaohsiung routes in the last week of February after the lifting of all travel restrictions on Hong Kong and Macau residents. We are pleased to see that demand is also growing for premium travel for both business and leisure purposes.

Cargo

Cathay Cargo rebrands

Cathay Cargo rebrands along with exciting news for customers

Aligning with Cathay’s vision to become one of the world’s greatest service brands

Cathay is excited to announce the launch of Cathay Cargo, a rebrand of its cargo business, and a change of name from Cathay Pacific Cargo. The change aligns with the airline’s overarching brand redesign, and reinforces the existing strong brand association and perceptions held by its customers. Cathay Cargo aligns with the same purpose, vision and values of our master brand Cathay and all of its subsidiary brands, including Cathay Pacific, the passenger airline, and Cathay, the everyday lifestyle offering. 

Cathay Cargo is united behind Cathay’s vision to become one of the world’s greatest service brands, and plays an integral role in helping to fulfil that aspiration through its world-class air cargo network, which transports products that facilitate trade across the entire Cathay network and beyond. Shipping directly to more than 70 destinations worldwide, Cathay Cargo is committed to advancing the development of all destination countries served by Cathay’s more than 200 aircraft.

Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “Cathay’s cargo business has played a vital role in the success of the Cathay Group since 1946, when we carried our first shipment between China and Australia. Our cargo services operate out of our home base of Hong Kong, which is also the world’s busiest international air cargo hub.

“This is an opportune moment to align our cargo business with the master brand as we continue our cargo investments in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area for a promising future. This rebrand reflects our Cargo business’ commitment to the same ‘Move Beyond’ ambition as the Group, while building on a strength that the Cathay brand has long been known for – offering leading-edge services to our customers.”

Cathay Pacific Group to work with Vocational Training Council to nurture aviation talent in Hong Kong

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed to support the development of the aviation industry and Hong Kong as an international hub

The Cathay Pacific Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vocational Training Council (VTC) of Hong Kong to jointly nurture a new generation of talent as the aviation industry’s growth picks up in the lead up to the completion of the Three-Runway System in Hong Kong.

The MoU Signing Ceremony was held at the Tsing Yi campus of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), a member institution of the VTC. Witnessed by Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun-san, Cathay Pacific Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam and VTC Executive Director Donald Tong, the MoU was signed by Cathay Pacific Director People Patricia Hwang and VTC Deputy Executive Director Alaina Shum.

The Group’s participating companies include: Cathay Pacific, HK Express, Air Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Services Limited – which operates the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal – Cathay Pacific Catering Services (H.K.) Limited, Hong Kong Airport Services Limited and Vogue Laundry Service Limited.

Liu Chun-san, Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics remarked that the pandemic has put the aviation industry on a bumpy flight over the past few years. But like planes flying out of an air turbulence, Hong Kong International Airport has been filling up again, and airlines have been flying to new destinations daily as the pandemic receded. Numerous exciting developments in our aviation scene have been also unfolding, including the Three-Runway System which would significantly increase our airport’s handling capacity.

Cathay Pacific Group is first to offer intermodal cargo operations with upstream acceptance at Hong Kong International Airport’s Logistics Park Pilot Scheme in the Chinese Mainland

Regular sailings from Dongguan will bring security-screened and palletised air cargo direct to a secured pier at Hong Kong International Airport for export

Cathay Pacific Cargo and the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal, operated by Cathay Pacific Services Ltd (CPSL), have become the first carrier and first cargo terminal operator to have cargo shipments accepted in Dongguan and transported to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) by ship for outbound airfreight, enabling full upstream sea-air intermodal export cargo handling between the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and Hong Kong.

The HKIA Logistics Park in Dongguan developed by the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) enables shipments to be security screened, built up and accepted as cargo for flights before being loaded on ships that unload in a secured area at HKIA, from where pallets and ULDs can be towed straight to a waiting aircraft. The pilot scheme’s base will migrate to a permanent facility from 2025.

Cathay Pacific’s ‘The Deck’ is now open

As more flights are resumed, Cathay is progressively reopening its lounges for customers to enjoy before they fly

Cathay Pacific has reopened The Deck lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, giving customers more ways to relax and pamper themselves before their flight.

The Deck joins The Wing, First and The Pier, Business as the Cathay Pacific lounges currently open to guests at the airline’s home hub. The airline is also working towards reopening The Pier, First and The Wing, Business within the coming six months as it continues to add more flights to its schedule.

As travel resumes, Cathay Pacific is also progressively reopening its global lounges. February will see the reopening of the Cathay Pacific lounges in Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport, while March and April will see the airline’s lounges at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, respectively, reopen their doors to guests.

Customers can also look forward to enjoying the airline’s signature lounges at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport in the second and third quarters of 2023.

Outside of Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific’s First and Business class lounges at London Heathrow Airport, and its lounges at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Tokyo (Haneda) International Airport are already open to eligible customers.

Cathay Pacific understands its airport lounges are highly appreciated by its customers and the airline has used the time while these spaces have been closed to further invest in its lounge experience.

The Deck, Hong Kong

Singapore Airlines named as one of the 50 most admired companies in the world.

Fortune magazine has named Singapore Airlines one of the 50 most admired companies in the world.

The airline said in a statement "We would like to thank our customers for their continuous support, which we do not take for granted. This accolade is a testament to the dedication of our people, who have been critical to our recovery and who strive to exceed the expectations of our customers every single day."

For more details, visit https://bit.ly/3XW3YLP.

Other airlines on the list include Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Southwest, Air France-KLM, Alaska Air and United. 

Cathay Pacific welcomes quarantine-free travel and will more than double its flights to the Chinese Mainland

Cathay Pacific will operate 61 return flights per week between Hong Kong and 13 Mainland cities

Cathay Pacific welcomes the Hong Kong SAR Government’s latest measures to facilitate quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, as well as the lifting of transit restrictions, effective 8 January 2023.

In light of the announcement, Cathay Pacific will more than double its flights into the Chinese Mainland, operating 61 return flights per week between Hong Kong and 13 Mainland cities from 14 January 2023. This compares to the 27 flights per week from Hong Kong to the Mainland, and 50 flights per week from the Mainland to Hong Kong that the airline is currently operating.

Cathay Pacific is working actively to resume and add more flights progressively between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland in the coming weeks, with the aim of operating over 100 return flights per week by March 2023.

Cathay Pacific releases traffic figures for November 2022

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.