Hong Kong-based The Cathay Group has released its traffic figures for June along with its financial performance figures for the first half of 2026. The Group’s four main business streams comprise airline Cathay Pacific and cargo operator Cathay Cargo (both CX), low-cost carrier HK Express (UO), and the Cathay Lifestyle brand.
The Group reported that Cathay Pacific carried 12% more passengers in June 2026 (compared to June 2025) and 17% more in the first six months of 2026 (compared to the same period in 2025). Cathay Cargo carried 9% more cargo in June 2026 than June 2025 and another 9% more tonnage in the first six months of the year (compared to the first six months in 2025).
However, HK Express reported a 4% decrease in June 2026 compared to June 2025, while its six-month comparative figure showed a 10% increase.
Lavinia Lau, chief customer and commercial officer, said:
“The Cathay Group continued our growth momentum in June, although jet fuel prices remained elevated. Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried a combined total of more than 3.1 million passengers, while Cathay Cargo carried around 145,000 tonnes of cargo, both representing an increase of 9% year on year. Meanwhile, we continue to enhance connectivity for our customers, with HK Express having recently launched direct daily flights to Wuxi, further expanding the Group’s network in the Chinese Mainland.”
The Group expects to record a consolidated shareholder profit of between 6 and 6.5 billion Hong Kong dollars for the first half of 2026, compared to HK$3.7 billion for the same period last year. The Group attributes this to solid demand, improved performance and a gain on deemed partial disposal of its equity interest in Air China Limited (CA).
The Cathay Group began in 1946 when two former wartime pilots flew much-needed post-war goods from Sydney to Hong Kong in a Douglas DC-3 plane called “Betsy”. The airline and business grew over time, and in 1976, it introduced its first cargo freighter.
In 1991, Cathay Pacific launched direct flights to London Heathrow (LHR), Zurich (ZRH) and Amsterdam (AMS) with Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Now, 80 years later, the Group has a route network of 100 global destinations.
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