Cathay Pacific Airways today released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for October 2012 that show a small increase in passenger numbers compared to the same month last year, albeit with a drop in load factor. Cargo and mail tonnage showed a year-on-year increase for the second month in a row.
\nCathay Pacific and Dragonair carried a total of 2,405,027 passengers in October \u2013 an increase of 1.0% compared to the same month last year. The passenger load factor fell by 1.8 percentage points to 78.3%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), dropped by 3.1%. For the year to date, passenger numbers have risen by 5.4% compared to a capacity increase of 4.1%.
\nThe two airlines carried 138,608 tonnes of cargo and mail last month, an increase of 1.9% compared to October 2011. The cargo and mail load factor fell by 2.2 percentage points to 64.0%. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, rose by 0.5%, while cargo and mail tonne kilometres flown dropped by 2.8%. For the year to date, tonnage has declined by 7.3% against a capacity drop of 4.3%.
\nCathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management James Tong said: \u201cOur capacity in October showed a decline for the second consecutive month as a result of the trimming of a number of long-haul frequencies introduced in September. We continue to strengthen our regional services, however, with flights to Haikou recommencing in late October. The pick-up in demand in premium cabins was slow last month. Passenger demand in the Economy cabin held up reasonably well for long-haul flights but was soft in the region. Yield remained under pressure in a highly competitive environment.\u201d
\nCathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing James Woodrow said: \u201cWe saw a small uptick in demand in October, driven by the launch of a number of new hi-tech consumer products out of key manufacturing centres in the region. Following a lull in demand over the long National Day holiday period in Mainland China, we were therefore able to operate close to a full freighter schedule by the end of the month. However, in the longer term, demand from Asia to Europe will continue to be affected by the economic fragility in a number of euro-zone countries.\u201d
| CATHAY PACIFIC / DRAGONAIR \n COMBINED TRAFFIC | \nOct2012 | \n% change vs Oct11 | \nCumulative Oct2012 | \n% change \n YTD | \n
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPK (000) | \n||||
| China | \n686,249 | \n1.5% | \n6,643,609 | \n6.5% | \n
| North East Asia | \n994,371 | \n0.2% | \n10,138,576 | \n11.8% | \n
| South East Asia | \n1,196,953 | \n11.4% | \n11,710,797 | \n7.2% | \n
| India, Middle East, Pakistan & Sri Lanka | \n659,465 | \n-2.9% | \n6,957,865 | \n-1.8% | \n
| South West Pacific & South Africa | \n1,166,675 | \n-9.2% | \n11,657,242 | \n-1.4% | \n
| North America | \n2,128,423 | \n-13.1% | \n24,339,612 | \n6.1% | \n
| Europe | \n1,518,431 | \n-9.0% | \n15,553,702 | \n-3.0% | \n
| RPK Total (000) | \n8,350,567 | \n-5.4% | \n87,001,403 | \n3.4% | \n
| Passengers carried | \n2,405,027 | \n1.0% | \n24,078,688 | \n5.4% | \n
| Cargo and mail tonne km (000) | \n781,520 | \n-2.8% | \n7,275,804 | \n-9.1% | \n
| Cargo and mail carried (000Kg) | \n138,608 | \n1.9% | \n1,274,788 | \n-7.3% | \n
| Number of flights | \n5,923 | \n7.6% | \n56,631 | \n6.9% | \n
| CATHAY PACIFIC / DRAGONAIR COMBINED CAPACITY | \nOct2012 | \n% change \n vs Oct2011 | \nCumulative \n Oct2012 | \n% change \n YTD | \n
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASK (000) | \n||||
| China | \n980,441 | \n8.2% | \n9,134,338 | \n8.1% | \n
| North East Asia | \n1,457,517 | \n15.0% | \n14,085,208 | \n13.2% | \n
| South East Asia | \n1,567,129 | \n14.6% | \n14,859,958 | \n12.0% | \n
| India, Middle East, Pakistan & Sri Lanka | \n928,100 | \n-6.9% | \n9,188,827 | \n-3.2% | \n
| South West Pacific & South Africa | \n1,469,408 | \n-5.5% | \n15,262,381 | \n-2.0% | \n
| North America | \n2,452,068 | \n-17.4% | \n27,839,735 | \n6.5% | \n
| Europe | \n1,812,771 | \n-7.0% | \n18,175,178 | \n-4.1% | \n
| ASK Total (000) | \n10,667,434 | \n-3.1% | \n108,545,625 | \n4.1% | \n
| Passenger load factor | \n78.3% | \n-1.8pt | \n80.2% | \n-0.4pt | \n
| Available cargo and mail tonne km (000) | \n1,220,426 | \n0.5% | \n11,386,363 | \n-4.3% | \n
| Cargo and mail load factor | \n64.0% | \n-2.2pt | \n63.9% | \n-3.4pt | \n
| ATK (000) | \n2,234,783 | \n-1.2% | \n21,708,512 | \n-0.5% | \n