Cathay Pacific traffic still ‘significantly’ reduced

Ability to service passenger and cargo markets remains affected by quarantines and other COVID-19-related requirements impacting aircrew

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(PHOTO: Cathay Pacific)

AirlinerCathay Pacific released its traffic figures for July 2021 that continued to reflect the airline’s substantial capacity reductions in response to significantly reduced demand as well as travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in place in Hong Kong and other markets amid the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cathay Pacific carried a total of 54,092 passengers last month, an increase of 25.8 percent compared to July 2020, but a 98.4 percent decrease compared to the pre-pandemic level in July 2019. The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) rose 22.6 percent year-on-year, but were down 97.6 percent versus July 2019. Passenger load factor increased by 5.1 percentage points to 28.5 percent, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by 0.7 percent, but remained 92.9 percent down on July 2019 levels. In the first seven months of 2021, the number of passengers carried dropped by 95.2 percent against an 81.9 percent decrease in capacity and a 94.3 percent decrease in RPKs, as compared to the same period for 2020. 

CathayThe airline carried 121,600 tonnes of cargo and mail last month, an increase of 19.1 percent compared to July 2020, but a 28.4 percent decrease compared with the same period in 2019. The month’s revenue freight tonne kilometres (RFTKs) rose 17.8 percent year-on-year, but were down 20.8 percent compared to July 2019. The cargo and mail load factor increased by 5.4 percentage points to 81.8 percent, while capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs), was up by 10.1 percent year-on-year, but was down 38.9 percent versus July 2019. In the first seven months of 2021, the tonnage decreased by 12.7 percent against a 26.7 percent drop in capacity and a 15.2 percent decrease in RFTKs, as compared to the same period for 2020.

ronald
Cathay Pacific Group Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Ronald Lam. (PHOTO: Cathay Pacific)

Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Ronald Lam said: “Our passenger capacity in July dropped slightly by 3 percent month-on-month. We operated only 7.1 percent of our July 2019 pre-pandemic passenger capacity. We did see some improvements in demand. We carried a total of 54,092 passengers in July, averaging 1,745 per day. On 29 July, we carried 2,585 passengers, the most in a single day so far in 2021. Meanwhile, our passenger load factor of 28.5 percent was the highest it’s been over the past 12 months. Transit traffic from the Chinese Mainland to the US and Canada remained robust. On top of that, we captured a few pockets of demand for flights from the Chinese Mainland to Southeast Asia, in particular to Jakarta and Hanoi. The increase in demand compensated for the loss of traffic from flights that remained suspended last month, notably from the UK, the Philippines and Indonesia. Meanwhile, we resumed passenger services to Auckland, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Tel Aviv and Wuhan. Media Information 

“Cargo capacity in July increased 12.1 percent month-on-month, driven by the full resumption of our freighter schedule and a 33 percent increase in cargo-only passenger flights,” Lam said. “All sales regions and route groups recorded healthy tonnage growth proportional to the increase in capacity, ensuring we sustained a high load factor of 81.8 percent across the month. We saw more active movement of vaccines in July and we have now surpassed the milestone of 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines carried to locations around the world. 

Cathay Pacific Cargo
Cathay, like other airlines, is relying on cargo to help carry it through the pandemic. (PHOTO: Cathay Pacific)

“We welcome the Hong Kong SAR government’s latest simplifications to the entry requirements for passengers into Hong Kong. However, COVID-19 and the associated travel restrictions and quarantine requirements that are in place both in Hong Kong and around the world continue to dampen passenger demand for air travel. Furthermore, our ability to service our passenger and cargo markets remains affected by quarantine and other COVID-19-related requirements impacting our aircrew. We hope to be able to operate approximately 30 percent of our pre-pandemic passenger capacity by the fourth quarter of 2021. However, this is highly dependent upon operational and customer travel restrictions being relaxed.

COVID-19
Airlines around the world, including Cathay, have had to ground thousands of planes as the COVID-19 pandemic has virtually shut down international aviation. (PHOTO: Shutterstock)

As governments around the world have said, this will only be possible when sufficiently high vaccination rates are achieved. Looking ahead on the passenger front, student traffic to the US and the UK is expected to give us a slight boost to our business in August and September, respectively. Flights on peak dates are already full, and flights on earlier departure dates are also likely to see increased bookings as demand continues to come in. We also marked the inaugural flight of our new Airbus A321neo to Shanghai (Pudong) earlier this month, as we progressively resume more flights to the Chinese Mainland and the region. On the cargo side, overall demand is trending upwards despite us entering the traditionally quieter summer months for cargo. As such, there is good momentum building up as we move towards the cargo peak season.”


 國泰航空公布20217月份客、貨運量數據 

國泰航空今天公布20217月份客、貨運量數據。由於全球2019 冠狀病毒病疫情持續,香港及多個巿場實施旅遊限制及檢疫措施,國泰月內因應需求疲弱而繼續大幅削減運力。 

國泰航空在7月份載客五萬四千零九十二人次,較2020年同月增加25.8%,但相比20197月疫情前的水平下跌98.4%。收入乘客千米數按年上升22.6%,但與20197月相比減少97.6%。乘客運載率上升5.1個百分點至28.5%,以可用座位千米數計算的運力雖增加0.7%,惟仍較20197月下跌92.9%。在2021年首七個月,載客人次較去年同期減少95.2%,運力下跌81.9%, 而收入乘客千米數則下跌94.3% 

國泰航空於7月份運載十二萬一千六百公噸貨物及郵件,較去年同月增加19.1%,但與20197月相比減少28.4%。月內的貨物及郵件收入噸千米數按年上升17.8%,但與20197月相比減少20.8%。運載率上升5.4個百分點至81.8%。以可用貨物及郵件噸千米數計算的運力則按年增加10.1%,但與20197月相比減少38.9%。在2021年首七個月,載貨量較去年同期下跌12.7%,運力下跌26.7%,而貨物及郵件收入噸千米數則下跌15.2% 

客運 

顧客及商務總裁林紹波表示:「我們於7月份的客運運力按月輕微下跌3%。相對於20197月的疫情前水平,我們於月內僅營運7.1%的運力。7月份的客運需求仍有輕微改善,共接載了54,092名乘客,平均每日接載1,745人次。我們在729日接載了2,585名乘客,是2021年迄今為止的單日新高。月內乘客運載率為28.5%,是過去12個月以來的新高。 

「從中國內地經香港轉機到美國及加拿大的需求依然強勁,加上從內地前往東南亞(特別是雅加達和河內)的航班需求殷切,亦有助填補上月因暫停由英國、菲律賓和印尼等地來港航班而減少的客量。月內,我們恢復了前往奧克蘭、河內、金邊、特拉維夫及武漢的客運航班。 新聞資料 

貨運 

7月份的貨運運力按月增加12.1%, 並已全面恢復所有定期貨機航班,及增加只載貨客機航班33%。所有銷售區域和航線組別都錄得穩健的載貨量增長,幅度與運力增長相若,令月內保持逾81.8%的高運載率。 

「我們於月內積極運送疫苗, 並已達致共運送逾5,000萬劑2019冠狀病毒病疫苗至世界各地的里程碑。 

展望 

「我們歡迎香港特區政府最近簡化旅客入境香港的檢疫規定。然而,2019冠狀病毒病以及在香港和世界各地實施的相關旅行限制和檢疫要求,持續影響出行需求。而且我們服務客貨運市場的能力,亦仍受制於機組人員的檢疫和其他與2019冠狀病毒病相關的規定。 

「我們期望於2021年第四季的營運運力可達到疫情前約30%。然而,這目標極度依賴旅遊限制得以放寬。各國政府已表明,社區疫苗接種率必須要高企才能考慮重開跨境往來活動。 

「我們非常樂見88%的駐香港員工已預約接種或已接種疫苗,包括99%的駐港機師及約91%的駐港機艙服務員。所有機組人員於海外執勤時均嚴格遵守防疫措施,發揮專業精神。今年至今,我們駐港的機組人員在抵港時及其後的日子已接受逾75,700次病毒檢測,當中並無陽性結果。 

「展望客運方面,留學生於8月及9月陸續返回英、美校園,有利業務。由於在熱門日子出發的機位已全被預訂,因此較早日子出發的航班訂位需求,預期亦將會增加。此外,全新空中巴士 A321neo客機已於本月初啟航前往上海浦東,正值我們陸續恢復更多中國內地及區內航班。 

「貨運方面,即使現時是貨運業務的傳統淡季,整體需求持續上升,為踏入旺季創造良好勢頭。 

「儘管如此,集團的客貨運業務仍因各國疫情持續而面對重重挑戰。」 

20217份詳細運載數字請見下頁。

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