Cathay Pacific (00293) Fayingxi expects that the comprehensive profit attributable to shareholders in the first half of the year is about HK$6 billion to HK$6.5 billion, and passenger and cargo volume will all increase 9% year-on-year

According to the Zhitong Finance App, Cathay Pacific (00293) issued an announcement. Cathay Pacific Customer and Commercial President Liu Kaishi said, “Despite maintaining high aviation fuel prices, the Group continued to grow in June. Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express carried more than 3.1 million passengers during the month, and Cathay Pacific cargo carried about 145,000 tons. Both passenger and cargo volume increased 9% over the same period last year.

“At the same time, we continue to strengthen our network connections for our customers. Hong Kong Express recently launched a new daily route between Hong Kong and Wuxi, further expanding the Group's route network in the mainland.”

The number of passengers carried by Cathay Pacific in June 2026 increased by 12% compared to the same month of 2025, and the number of available seat kilometers increased by 6% year-on-year. In the first six months of 2026, passenger capacity increased 17% compared to the same period in 2025.

Kaishi Lau said, “Passenger demand was always weak in early June, but due to the situation in the Middle East, passenger traffic via Hong Kong increased, keeping the passenger load rate at a high level. Furthermore, the long weekend holiday of the Dragon Boat Festival in the middle of the month is driving demand for outbound travel from Hong Kong to various short destinations. In late June, international students returned to Hong Kong from long-distance overseas markets to support passenger transportation needs. At the same time, business and high-end leisure travel also keep demand high for front cabins.

“We are optimistic about the outlook for the peak summer travel season, and we are particularly optimistic about the performance of long-haul routes. At the same time, demand for short-haul destinations from Hong Kong remains steady, and is particularly popular with visitors from the Mainland and Northeast Asia.”

Cathay Pacific Cargo's cargo volume in June 2026 increased by 9% compared to the same month of 2025, and the number of available cargo tonnes and kilometers increased by 1% year-on-year. In the first six months of 2026, cargo volume increased by 9% compared to the same period last year.

Kaishi Liu said, “Cargo volume recorded a steady year-on-year increase in June. Demand for freight shipments from the mainland to Southeast Asia was strong, while demand within Southeast Asia remained stable. At the same time, freight demand to the Mainland and Hong Kong remained strong, while professional freight solutions continued to perform well. Among them, semiconductor and pharmaceutical transportation led the growth of “Cathay Pacific-Special Cargo Delivery” and “Cathay Pacific-Pharmaceutical Delivery” respectively. Meanwhile, “Cathay Pacific Priority Delivery” is also in strong demand in the Hong Kong, Southeast Asian and American markets, reflecting the strong demand for transportation solutions with guaranteed timeliness as shippers replenish inventory.

“Looking ahead, we expect freight demand across the network to remain steady. At the same time, we will pay close attention to the potential impact of Europe's new tariff policy on low-value imported goods on e-commerce freight demand.”

Hong Kong Express carried more than 560,000 passengers in June 2026, a decrease of 4% compared to the same month of 2025, and the number of available seat kilometers decreased by 7% year-on-year. In the first six months of 2026, passenger capacity increased by 10% compared to the same period last year.

Kaishi Lau said, “Hong Kong Express passenger demand slowed slightly in June, and the situation is similar to recent years. Despite this, the performance of some markets during the month was steady. Among them, the passenger load rate of the mainland, the Philippines and Thailand routes all exceeded 85%, which recorded a double-digit percentage point increase over the same month last year. During the month, Hong Kong Express consolidated a small number of flights according to the plan announced in April 2026 to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs. Overall capacity decreased compared to the same period last year. Looking ahead to the peak summer travel season, the booking situation in July was better than in the same period last year.”

The Group expects to record comprehensive profit attributable to shareholders of approximately HK$6 billion to HK$6.5 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2026 (the first half of 2026), including approximately HK$1.4 billion in deferred sales affiliate earnings from the dilution of the Group's interests in Air China Limited. Relevant matters were disclosed in the company's May 2026 passenger and cargo volume data announcement (dated June 23, 2026). For comparison, the recorded profit attributable to shareholders for the six months ended June 30, 2025 was HK$3.7 billion.

The Group's results for the first half of 2026 also benefited from continued steady demand from Cathay Pacific and Cathay Pacific Cargo, improved performance of Hong Kong Express, and better profit contributions from affiliated companies.