Cathay Pacific releases October 2002 traffic figures

Cathay Pacific Airways today released traffic figures for the month of October 2002 that show continued growth for both the airline's passenger and cargo operations.

In October 2002, Cathay Pacific carried 1,054,931 passengers, a 26.5% increase over the same month last year. The passenger load factor was 75.8%, an 11.3 percentage point increase over October 2001.

Cargo's performance gained strength with 85,214 tonnes carried in October, up from 76,324 tonnes carried in September and 14.2% higher than in October 2001. The cargo load factor was 76.5%.

Cumulative figures for the year to date show a 7.9% increase in the number of passengers and a 16.8% increase in freight tonnage compared to the same ten-month period last year. 

Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management, Sales and Distribution Ian Shiu said: "Demand held up well, even though October is not a peak travel period. Overall, however, there has been no real improvement in First and Business Class traffic." 

Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Kenny Tang added: "The peak pre-holiday season is seeing strong demand on all of the major trunk routes to Europe, Japan, Australia. Trans-Pacific services were particularly busy, bolstered by the shutdown at US West Coast seaports."