HONG Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific carried a total 130,997 tonnes of cargo and mail in September, an increase of 19.7 per cent compared to the same month last year, but a 24.1 per cent decrease from September 2019.
September's revenue freight tonne kilometres (RFTKs) rose 22.3 per cent year on year, but were down 14.3 per cent compared to September 2019. The cargo and mail load factor increased by 3.8 percentage points to 79.7 per cent, while capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs), was up by 16.4 per cent year on year, but was down 29.6 per cent versus September 2019.
In the first nine months of 2021, the tonnage decreased by 5.5 per cent against a 17.8 per cent drop in capacity and a 7.3 per cent decrease in RFTKs, as compared to the same period for 2020.
Cathay Pacific Group chief customer and commercial officer, Ronald Lam said: 'Cargo demand continued to grow as we stepped into the traditional cargo peak season. To meet this demand, we operated our freighter fleet at peak capacity throughout September, further supplemented with additional cargo-only passenger flight operations, which surged 20 per cent compared to August.
Overall, the airline managed to operate approximately 70 per cent of our pre-pandemic cargo capacity when compared to September 2019. 'Overall tonnage grew month on month by more than 5 percent to 130,997 tonnes, the most cargo we've carried in a single month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
'Strong performances were recorded across our network, with our home market Hong Kong and a number of Southeast Asian countries achieving record revenues in September. Our time-sensitive Priority LIFT product as well as our charter and 'preighter' solutions have also seen keen interest from customers.'
Cathay carried a total of 131,774 passengers last month, an increase of 180 per cent compared to September 2020, but a 94.6 per cent decrease compared to the pre-pandemic level in September 2019.
In the first six months of 2021, the number of passengers carried dropped by 89.4 per cent against an 71.7 per cent decrease in capacity and a 85.9 per cent decrease in RPKs, as compared to the same period for 2020.
'Following on from August, our passenger business continued to see some improvement in September. Average daily passenger numbers were at similar levels to the previous month, while on 17 September we carried a total of 6,562 passengers, the highest total for a single day since late March 2020. Nevertheless, we still operated only approximately 13 per cent of our pre-pandemic passenger capacity when compared to September 2019.' Mr Lam said.
Looking ahead, he commented that the airline was 'continuing to monitor and assess the potential opportunities for demand from the relaxation of quarantine requirements for travellers flying to various markets, most notably the US'.
Mr Lam said demand for cargo continued to be robust driven by the movement of new consumer products and the urgent need for inventory replenishment due to supply chains remaining constrained. 'To meet these challenges, our worldwide teams have been working diligently to provide more capacity and expand our network for our customers whilst continuing to meet the ongoing operational challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.'
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September's revenue freight tonne kilometres (RFTKs) rose 22.3 per cent year on year, but were down 14.3 per cent compared to September 2019. The cargo and mail load factor increased by 3.8 percentage points to 79.7 per cent, while capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs), was up by 16.4 per cent year on year, but was down 29.6 per cent versus September 2019.
In the first nine months of 2021, the tonnage decreased by 5.5 per cent against a 17.8 per cent drop in capacity and a 7.3 per cent decrease in RFTKs, as compared to the same period for 2020.
Cathay Pacific Group chief customer and commercial officer, Ronald Lam said: 'Cargo demand continued to grow as we stepped into the traditional cargo peak season. To meet this demand, we operated our freighter fleet at peak capacity throughout September, further supplemented with additional cargo-only passenger flight operations, which surged 20 per cent compared to August.
Overall, the airline managed to operate approximately 70 per cent of our pre-pandemic cargo capacity when compared to September 2019. 'Overall tonnage grew month on month by more than 5 percent to 130,997 tonnes, the most cargo we've carried in a single month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
'Strong performances were recorded across our network, with our home market Hong Kong and a number of Southeast Asian countries achieving record revenues in September. Our time-sensitive Priority LIFT product as well as our charter and 'preighter' solutions have also seen keen interest from customers.'
Cathay carried a total of 131,774 passengers last month, an increase of 180 per cent compared to September 2020, but a 94.6 per cent decrease compared to the pre-pandemic level in September 2019.
In the first six months of 2021, the number of passengers carried dropped by 89.4 per cent against an 71.7 per cent decrease in capacity and a 85.9 per cent decrease in RPKs, as compared to the same period for 2020.
'Following on from August, our passenger business continued to see some improvement in September. Average daily passenger numbers were at similar levels to the previous month, while on 17 September we carried a total of 6,562 passengers, the highest total for a single day since late March 2020. Nevertheless, we still operated only approximately 13 per cent of our pre-pandemic passenger capacity when compared to September 2019.' Mr Lam said.
Looking ahead, he commented that the airline was 'continuing to monitor and assess the potential opportunities for demand from the relaxation of quarantine requirements for travellers flying to various markets, most notably the US'.
Mr Lam said demand for cargo continued to be robust driven by the movement of new consumer products and the urgent need for inventory replenishment due to supply chains remaining constrained. 'To meet these challenges, our worldwide teams have been working diligently to provide more capacity and expand our network for our customers whilst continuing to meet the ongoing operational challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.'
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