Cathay Pacific: Passenger load in March increased by 24% year-on-year.

On April 17th, Cathay Pacific announced that passenger volume in March had increased by 24% compared to the same month in 2025, while available seat kilometers had increased by 9% year-on-year. In the first three months of 2026, passenger volume was up by 20% compared to the same period in 2025. Cathay Pacific's Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Julie Ku, stated that the overall performance in March showed mixed results. On one hand, due to developments in the Middle East, travel demand shifted to other airline hubs, resulting in stable group passenger traffic. On the other hand, the price of aviation fuel had significantly increased since March, posing a heavy cost pressure on global airlines. In the past month, the company had tried to implement appropriate measures to maintain normal flight operations, including adjusting fuel surcharges. However, these measures were not sufficient to mitigate the rising fuel costs, leading to the necessity of reducing capacity as a last resort. As a result, the company will be integrating a small number of passenger flights operated by Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express between mid-May and the end of June, accounting for approximately 2% and 6% of total passenger flights during that period, respectively.