Cathay Pacific eases back on the throttle to avoid potholes on the road to full recovery

While Cathay Pacific has remained generally on track with its capacity recovery plans so far, it is pushing back its target for full recovery slightly to ensure the stability of its operations while it expands.

The airline's post-pandemic recovery has lagged those of most other major airlines, as the Hong Kong government took a cautious approach to removing travel restrictions.

Since these restrictions were removed, the airline has been making good progress in ramping up its capacity. However, this process has not been entirely smooth - pilot shortages contributed to operational disruptions over the 2023 Christmas period.

Cathay Pacific was signalling in 2023 that it intended to reach 100% capacity recovery by the end of 2024. But this target was shifted in Mar-2024, when the airline set a new goal of achieving full recovery in the first quarter of 2025.

A major factor in this will be ensuring that the airline has adequate workforce - particularly pilots - to support the continued expansion. Cathay Pacific executives are expressing confidence that they are on top of the hiring challenge.

In addition to its workforce initiatives, Cathay Pacific is undertaking some major investments in its fleet and product offerings. This will include more aircraft orders, and cabin upgrades for multiple fleet types over the next few years.