HONG Kong's Cathay Pacific carried 115,729 tonnes of cargo last month, an increase of 14.9 per cent compared with July last year.

The month's cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 24.6 per cent year on year. The cargo load factor decreased by 11.2 percentage points to 59.8 per cent, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs), increased by 47.9% year on year.

In the first seven months of 2023, the tonnage increased by 22.4 per cent against a 102.5 per cent increase in capacity and a 71.1 per cent increase in RFTKs, as compared with the same period for 2022.

Commenting on the month's cargo business, Cathay Pacific's chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: "While overall cargo demand in July remained at similar levels compared with June, e-commerce traffic continued to be a bright spot holding volumes up.

"Movement of seasonal fresh produce has also been active, contributing to good volume growth under our Cathay Fresh solution. All in all, cargo tonnage in July grew 4 per cent month on month."

However Ms Lau added that cargo volumes will remain flat for the rest of the summer period. "We anticipate demand will pick up from the end of the third quarter as we enter the traditional peak period for air cargo. Overall, we anticipate our cargo business will continue to perform solidly throughout the second half of 2023."

Cathay Pacific carried a total of 1,744,374 passengers last month, an increase of 693.8% compared with July 2022.

In the first seven months of 2023, the number of passengers carried increased by 1,622 per cent against a 818.9 per cent increase in capacity and a 1,149 per cent increase in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), as compared with the same period for 2022.