Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried 2.4 million passengers in May 2012 – up 6.8% compared to the same month last year.
The growth was slightly exaggerated however, with a 23.1% jump in traffic on Northeast Asian routes reflecting depressed conditions in May 2011, in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
Elsewhere, traffic on routes to mainland China and Southeast Asia saw strong growth, rising 7.0% and 6.8% respectively. Routes to and from Southwest Pacific and South Africa however, dropped 8.1%. European traffic also dipped, down 1.9% year-on-year, as Cathay cut available seat capacity to Europe by 4.8%. The airlines’ load factors averaged 78.5% last month – marginally ahead of May 2011.
“Demand on the passenger side remained robust throughout May, boosted by the enhancement of both Cathay Pacific and Dragonair’s regional services,” said Cathay Pacific’s General Manager for Revenue Management, James Tong. “We continued to see a decline in yield in the economy class cabin on most routes. Business in the premium cabins is now being affected by a fall in yield and a lack of growth in volumes.”
Year-to-date, Cathay and Dragonair have carried 11.9 million passengers – 9.1% more than the same period last year.
