Cathay Cargo traffic rises 9% in August 2026
Cathay Cargo's tonnage grew 9% year-on-year in August, with AFTKs up 1% and YTD volumes up 8%, the airline said.
Cathay Cargo freighter under the northern lights undergoing its turn at Anchorage
Cathay Cargo carried 151,904 tonnes in August, up 8.6% year-on-year, even as its Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) reached 1.37 billion in August 2026, up 1.4% year-on-year, while Revenue Freight Tonne Kilometres (RFTKs) climbed 3.1% to 785.39 million, the Hong Kong-based carrier reported. The cargo load factor rose 0.9 percentage points to 57.4%. The airline operated 1,348 freighter flights during the month, a 2.1% increase over August 2025.
On a cumulative basis for the first eight months of 2026, AFTKs stood at 10,29 billion (up 3.1%) and RFTKs at 6.06 billions (up 4.2%). Freighter flights for the year to date totalled 9,871, down 1.8% compared with the same period last year, even as cargo carried rose 8.2% to 1.17 million tonnes. The cumulative cargo load factor improved by 0.7 percentage points to 58.9%.
Cathay's Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Lavinia Lau, said cargo tonnage in August was supported by healthy demand across the airline's key markets. She noted that demand for Cathay Expert was driven by robust semiconductor shipments within Asia, while Cathay Pharma saw notable growth from Europe and the Chinese Mainland. She added that the Cathay Priority solution also continued to perform well, reflecting shippers' need to replenish inventory ahead of the traditional year-end air cargo peak.
Looking ahead to September, Lau highlighted that Cathay flew more than 50 horses from Liège to Hong Kong earlier in the month for CAVALLUNA’s debut performance outside Europe, showcasing the airline’s live-animal transport capabilities. She said demand is expected to remain strong going forward, supported in part by high-tech product launches and rising volumes as the industry enters the traditional air cargo peak season.
