Cathay Pacific releases January 2004 traffic figures

Cathay Pacific Airways today released traffic figures for January 2004 that show continued positive growth for cargo and a record month for the airline’s passenger business.

January 2004 was the airline's best month on record for passenger numbers. The airline carried 1,127,993 passengers, up from 1,111,505 in December 2003 and a 4.0 percent gain on the same month last year. On 25 January, the fourth day of the Chinese New Year holiday, the airline carried 42,922 passengers, a new one-day record. Over the holiday period, the airline operated 66 extra pairs of flights to meet peak demand.

Cargo continued its strong performance. The airline carried 69,702 tonnes of freight in January, up 2.2 percent on the same month last year, despite the short build-up to the Chinese New Year and the seasonal slowdown following the holiday. Last year’s New Year fell in early February.

Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management, Sales & Distribution Ian Shiu said: "January was clearly our best month ever, and holiday travel demand outweighed the fact that January is not a busy month for business travel. January’s figures also show that the airline has, as yet, felt no real impact from concerns about avian flu."

Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Kenny Tang said: "Even though the early arrival of the Chinese New Year cut short the traditionally busy run-up to the holiday, we still produced positive tonnage growth on January 2003. It is an encouraging start to the year."