March 15 2016, 16.16 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
Cathay Pacific Airways today released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for February 2016 that show an increase in the number of passengers carried compared to the same month in 2015, alongside a double-digit drop in the volume of cargo and mail uplifted.
Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried a total of 2,746,629 passengers last month – an increase of 2.7% compared to February 2015. The passenger load factor fell by 2.5 percentage points to 82.4% while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), grew by 8.6%. In the first two months of 2016, the number of passengers carried rose by 6.7% compared to a 7.2% increase in capacity.
The two airlines carried 117,299 tonnes of cargo and mail in February, a 10.1% decrease compared to the same month last year. The cargo and mail load factor fell by 7.5 percentage points to 58.0%. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, was up by 1.1% while cargo and mail revenue tonne kilometres (RTKs) flown decreased by 10.4%. In the first two months of 2016, tonnage carried fell by 4.6% against a 1.8% increase in capacity and a 5.2% drop in RTKs.
Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management Patricia Hwang said: “Following a busy January, passenger traffic in February was something of a disappointment, with the increase in passengers carried falling well short of the increase in capacity. We saw strong loads over the Chinese New Year period, particularly to popular holiday destinations within the region, but demand lagged expectations for much of the month. The trend for weakened premium demand continued, particularly on our North America routes. This had a negative impact on yield, as did adverse currency swings.”
Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing Mark Sutch said: “Airfreight demand dropped away sharply in the early part of the month as factories in Mainland China closed down for the Chinese New Year holiday. In comparison to the holiday period last year, demand was much slower in picking up after factories reopened, which led to a higher concentration of lower-yield cargo from Southeast Asia and India being uplifted onto our transpacific freighter flights. The sustained drop in fuel prices has led to older aircraft becoming more economically viable. The resulting overcapacity continues to put downward pressure on cargo yields.
The full February figures are on the next page.
CATHAY PACIFIC / DRAGONAIR COMBINED TRAFFIC |
FEB
|
% Change
|
Cumulative
|
%
Change
|
|
|
2016
|
VS FEB 15
|
FEB 2016
|
YTD
|
|
RPK (000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Mainland China
|
723,420
|
-3.0%
|
1,457,809
|
5.9%
|
|
- North East Asia
|
1,261,094
|
-3.6%
|
2,533,665
|
1.3%
|
|
- South East Asia
|
1,456,547
|
9.1%
|
2,939,424
|
9.4%
|
|
- India, Middle East, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
|
563,736
|
-4.9%
|
1,295,888
|
0.7%
|
|
- South West Pacific & South Africa
|
1,543,474
|
12.3%
|
3,215,059
|
11.7%
|
|
- North America
|
2,481,175
|
4.1%
|
5,479,242
|
5.7%
|
|
- Europe
|
1,631,075
|
14.1%
|
3,551,429
|
15.4%
|
|
RPK Total (000)
|
9,660,521
|
5.4%
|
20,472,516
|
7.8%
|
|
Passengers carried
|
2,746,629
|
2.7%
|
5,644,519
|
6.7%
|
|
Cargo and mail revenue tonne km (000)
|
681,869
|
-10.4%
|
1,536,086
|
-5.2%
|
|
Cargo and mail carried (000kg)
|
117,299
|
-10.1%
|
264,989
|
-4.6%
|
|
Number of flights
|
6,338
|
4.6%
|
13,062
|
3.9%
|
CATHAY PACIFIC / DRAGONAIR COMBINED CAPACITY |
FEB
|
% Change
|
Cumulative
|
%
Change
|
|
|
2016
|
VS FEB 15
|
FEB 2016
|
YTD
|
|
ASK (000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Mainland China
|
913,404
|
3.8%
|
1,886,695
|
3.5%
|
|
- North East Asia
|
1,610,572
|
2.1%
|
3,257,340
|
3.7%
|
|
- South East Asia
|
1,738,734
|
8.5%
|
3,515,871
|
6.2%
|
|
- India, Middle East, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
|
747,326
|
0.0%
|
1,639,921
|
3.6%
|
|
- South West Pacific & South Africa
|
1,724,459
|
9.1%
|
3,565,771
|
8.3%
|
|
- North America
|
3,065,926
|
10.7%
|
6,436,547
|
7.6%
|
|
- Europe
|
1,927,707
|
17.3%
|
4,000,446
|
12.9%
|
|
ASK Total (000)
|
11,728,128
|
8.6%
|
24,302,591
|
7.2%
|
|
Passenger load factor
|
82.4%
|
-2.5pt
|
84.2%
|
0.5pt
|
|
Available cargo/mail tonne km (000)
|
1,174,771
|
1.1%
|
2,561,061
|
1.8%
|
|
Cargo and mail load factor
|
58.0%
|
-7.5pt
|
60.0%
|
-4.4pt
|
|
ATK (000)
|
2,289,880
|
4.6%
|
4,872,143
|
4.3%
|
About Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair (India)
The airline has had a presence in India for over 65 years. It currently operates passenger services from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific is also one of the biggest air cargo operators in India with scheduled freighter services to and from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata.
Cathay Pacific was named “World’s Best Airline” for the fourth time in the 2014 annual Skytrax World Airline Awards.Sister airline Dragonair, is a Hong Kong-based international airline, and a member of the Cathay Pacific Group operating a fleet of 41 passenger aircraft and serving 53 regional destinations, including 23 cities in Mainland China.
In India, Dragonair flies from Bengaluru and Kolkata to Hong Kong.
Dragonair has been recognised for its product and service quality, and has been named the “Best Regional Airline” at the TTG Travel Awards for six consecutive years since 2010, and voted "World's Best Regional Airline" in the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards™ in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
