Cathay touts progress in sustainability priorities

Cathay released its Sustainability Report 2025 and said it was making “continuous progress in its sustainability journey and reaffirming its support to the aviation industry’s long-term decarbonisation vision”. The Sustainability Report 2025 is available here. Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “This year marks a meaningful milestone for Cathay as we celebrate ‘80 Years Together’ with Hong Kong. At the heart of this journey is our drive for sustainability leadership. Through deeper collaboration across the value chain and investments in our priority areas – from Sustainable Aviation Fuel (“SAF”) and Single-use Plastics (“SUP”) to our community and workforce – we are committed to moving people forward in life in a more thoughtful and responsible manner. Decarbonising aviation is a critical yet complex mission. Despite the challenges ahead, we are supporting the development of a robust SAF value chain through strategic investments and collaborations. Together with like‑minded organisations, we are channeling the necessary support and capital to help scale SAF innovation over the long term. Meanwhile, we have also made meaningful progress on the circularity front, as we work to reduce waste generation and reliance on virgin resources across our operations.” Key highlights from the 2025 report include: Supporting the development of SAF value chain through partnerships and investments: Cathay joined forces as a launch investor of the US$150 million oneworld BEV Fund and committed to a landmark co-investment agreement with Airbus of up to US$70 million, accelerating next-generation SAF technology advancement while driving more mature SAF opportunities for the near- to medium-term. ​ Cathay’s Corporate SAF Programme achieved another year of substantial growth with 17 global partners, recording an increase of nearly 180% in the committed SAF usage compared to last year. Leading the efforts in SUP circularity: In 2025, the Group reduced passenger-facing SUP items in scope to an average of 1.7 pieces per passenger, with further progress towards the target of 1.5 pieces expected by mid‑2026, as remaining replacement are completed. Alongside reduction efforts, Cathay has achieved its goal of sourcing at least 50% of remaining SUP items in scope from recycled plastics and expanding its inflight water bottles recycling programme across Hong Kong and eight additional airports, increasing the network-wide recycling rate of bottles to 21%. Cultivating positive impacts across communities we serve and our workforce: The flagship youth development programme, “I Can Fly”, was refreshed in 2025 with a renewed focus on education, discovery and exploration, engaging over 1,550 students. Cathay’s long‑term partnerships with Kai Tak Sports Park and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority reflect its support for sports, arts and culture in Hong Kong. Cathay also refined its diversity and inclusion strategy by introducing Belonging@Cathay, a holistic approach that brings together diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging together. Cathay Cargo launches Manage Booking Cathay Cargo has launched Manage Booking, a significant upgrade to the carrier’s online booking platform that gives freight forwarders direct control over booking modifications. The new feature addresses a longstanding industry challenge; the need to make changes quickly after bookings are confirmed, without relying on phone calls, manual workflows, or waiting for follow-up during office hours. Manage Booking enables forwarders to handle routine changes directly through the platform, including the updating of shipper or consignee information, flight and date adjustments, and shipment size modifications. More complex requests continue to be supported by Cathay Cargo’s specialists, ensuring forwarders have the right level of support for every scenario. The launch represents a significant step forward in Cathay Cargo’s commitment to customer-centric digitalisation. Manage Booking delivers tangible benefits that address forwarder operational challenges: Centralised booking oversight: Users can view real-time updates on a single dashboard allowing them to track the status of every booking from all booking channels. Preview before you commit: Before confirming any changes, users gain full visibility into how proposed updates will affect booking status and associated costs. Activity tracking and automated notifications: Users benefit from a complete audit trail of modifications, complemented by automated email notifications that keep stakeholders aligned and informed at every step. Dominic Perret, Director Cargo, Cathay, said: “As the air cargo industry evolves, we are committed to leading that transformation by keeping our customers at the centre of every innovation. Digital solutions like Manage Booking are about making it easier for freight forwarders to work with us, giving them the control and transparency they need to operate with confidence. We will continue developing digital solutions that our customers value as we strive to become the world’s best air cargo carrier.” Manage Booking is the latest in a series of digital initiatives setting new standards for air cargo, including becoming the first airline globally to offer real-time customs clearance status via IATA’s ONE Record protocol, deploying intelligent tool to reduce Cathay Expert’s heavyweight cargo planning time, and rolling out Cargo Connect to digitise operational workflows worldwide. Each innovation reflects Cathay Cargo’s commitment to building a strong digital culture that delivers measurable value to customers. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]