Cathay Cargo sees healthy April volumes
Cathay Cargo carried 8% more cargo in April 2026 than in the same month last year, as the Cathay Group reported healthy freight volumes despite softer demand in some regional markets.
Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 7% year-on-year during the month, while total tonnage for the first four months of 2026 was also up 8% compared with the same period in 2025.
Lavinia Lau, chief customer and commercial officer at Cathay, said cargo tonnage continued to record year-on-year growth in April, although market performance varied by region.
“While volumes from our home market eased due to softer demand into South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, demand to the Americas remained solid,” Lau said.
“Overall tonnage into Hong Kong also remained healthy, supported by robust traffic from Southeast Asia, the Americas and Europe.”
Cathay Cargo said its specialist freight solutions continued to perform well during the month. Semiconductor shipments within Asia and technology-related exports from the Americas into Hong Kong supported growth in its Cathay Expert and Cathay Dangerous Goods products.
Cathay Pharma also recorded solid growth, particularly on lanes from Europe to the Chinese Mainland.
Lau added: “Looking to May, we expect the momentum seen in April to continue following the ‘Golden Week’ holidays. We were also delighted to welcome Bangkok into our freighter network earlier this month, further strengthening our presence in Southeast Asia.”
The cargo performance came against a mixed operating backdrop for the wider Cathay Group. Lau said travel demand remained robust and passenger load factors were high, supported by holiday and seasonal travel, while cargo volumes were healthy.
However, she noted that jet fuel prices remained “highly elevated” amid the ongoing Middle East situation, adding cost pressure across the business.
Cathay Pacific has extended the suspension of passenger services to Dubai and Riyadh until the end of August due to softer near-term travel demand to the Middle East, with capacity being redeployed to routes including Manchester and Rome.
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