HONG Kong's Cathay Pacific carried 121,088 tonnes of cargo in May, an increase of 10.2 per cent compared with the same month last year.

The month's cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 3.8 per cent year on year. The cargo load factor decreased by 2.1 percentage points to 59.4 per cent, while available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 7.5 per cent year on year.

In the first five months of 2024, the tonnage increased by 10.2 per cent to a total of 594,896 tonnes, against an 11.8 per cent increase in AFTKs and a 4.4 per cent increase in RFTKs, as compared with the same period for 2023.

Commenting on the month's cargo business, Cathay Pacific's chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: "Cargo demand from Hong Kong and the rest of the Greater Bay Area remained solid throughout May.

"Across our network, tonnage grew 3 per cent against last month, and 10 per cent compared with May 2023, underpinned by a capacity growth of 7.5 per cent.

"We observed particularly strong growth from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the Taiwan region and Southeast Asia. In terms of commodity mix, there was also an increase in tonnage of general cargo as well as special cargo, with significant movements of high-end electronics, seafood and consumer products. E-commerce continued to perform well."

Looking ahead, Ms Lau said: "For cargo, we expect demand to remain strong as it has been throughout the first five months of 2024.

"Market sentiment, particularly out of Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, remains positive and we will continue to adjust our freighter capacity to suit the needs of our customers."

In May, the airline carried a total of 1,678,532 passengers, an increase of 18.4 per cent compared with May 2023.