Cathay Cargo September tonnage rises 14.2%

Cathay Cargo, Hong-Kong based carrier carried 154,041 tonnes of cargo in September 2026, up 14.2% year on year. Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased 5.3% to 1,344,310 thousand, while Revenue Freight Tonne Kilometres (RFTKs) rose 8.6% to 792,026 thousand. For the first nine months of 2026, the carrier’s total cargo tonnage increased 8.9% compared with the same period in 2025.

The cargo load factor improved by 1.8 percentage points to 58.9%, while the number of freighter flight sectors increased 4.8% to 1,367. For the first nine months of 2026, cargo tonnage rose 8.9% to 1.324 million tonnes. AFTKs increased 3.3% to 11,631,731 thousand, while RFTKs grew 4.7% to 6,855,755 thousand. The cumulative cargo load factor stood at 58.9%, up 0.8 percentage points, while freighter flight sectors declined 1% to 11,238.

Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said, “We continued to see year-on-year tonnage growth in September, with demand remaining resilient from the Chinese Mainland and Southeast Asia. In terms of our specialist solutions, Cathay Priority maintained its momentum, boosted by time-critical shipments from Southeast Asia, while continued semiconductor flows underpinned strong demand for our Cathay Expert solution. Looking ahead, we expect demand to strengthen further as we approach the traditional year-end air cargo peak season, supported by a positive market outlook for the fourth quarter.”