Cathay Pacific has released its traffic figures for May 2024, reporting 121,088 tonnes of cargo carried for the month, an increase of 10.2% compared with May 2023.

Furthermore, the month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 3.8% year on year, cargo load factor decreased by 2.1 percentage points to 59.4%, but available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 7.5% year on year.

In the first five months of 2024, the airline’s tonnage increased by 10.2% to a total of 594,896 tonnes, against an 11.8% increase in AFTKs and a 4.4% increase in RFTKs, as compared with the same period for 2023.

Lavinia Lau, chief customer and commercial officer at Cathay, said: “Cargo demand from Hong Kong and the rest of the Greater Bay Area remained solid throughout May.

“We observed particularly strong growth from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the Taiwan region and Southeast Asia.

“In terms of commodity mix, there was also an increase in tonnage of general cargo as well as special cargo, with significant movements of high-end electronics, seafood and consumer products. E-commerce continued to perform well.”

Lau added: “For cargo, we expect demand to remain strong as it has been throughout the first five months of 2024.

“Market sentiment, particularly out of Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, remains positive and we will continue to adjust our freighter capacity to suit the needs of our customers.”

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