Cathay Pacific Sep-2009 pax down 2%

Cathay Pacific passenger numbers down 2% - consolidated traffic highlights in Sep-2009:

• Passenger numbers: 1.8 million, -2.0% year-on-year;
• Passenger traffic (RPKs): +0.1%;
  • China: -4.0%;
  • Northeast Asia: -5.4%;
  • Southeast Asia & Middle East: +12.8%;
  • Europe: +1.4%;
  • South West Pacific & South Africa: +6.9%;
  • North America: -9.5%;
• Passenger load factor: 80.2%, +7.9 ppts;
• Cargo volume: 133,301 tonnes, -5.8%. [more]

Cathay Pacific: "September saw a welcome seasonal upturn in demand for premium traffic with an improved share of the overall business, but at volumes and yields still well below previous years. Several special events including Indonesian Lebaran and the Japanese silver week holidays helped boost regional leisure demand for the month. Reduced capacity, especially on some long haul routes, provided the context for the higher load factors and improved efficiency levels on several routes compared to the recent past," Tom Owen, General Manager - Revenue Management. Source: Cathay Pacific, 12-Oct-2009.

Cathay Pacific: "The trend of plummeting [cargo] yields that began in fourth quarter 2008 and continued through second quarter of 2009 has stopped, as volumes have strengthened. We have experienced a gradual improvement in both volume and yield, albeit from a low base. However, it is still too soon to say whether these improvements are the beginning of a sustained recovery," Titus Diu, General Manager - Cargo Sales & Marketing. Source: Cathay Pacific, 12-Oct-2009.