Cathay Cargo reported another month of continuous cargo growth in February, recording an 11.8% increase in cargo volume compared to the same month last year.

The cargo arm of Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific said it carried 11.8% more cargo in February 2025, to 110,707 tonnes, compared with February 2024.

However, month-on-month, this is lower than the 130,572 tonnes of air freight that Cathay Cargo transported in January 2025.

According to traffic figures released by the airline group for February, Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) rose 3.5% year over year, while the load factor dropped slightly by 1.4 percentage points.

Tonnage for the first two months of 2025 increased by 12.8%.

Demand from Cathay's Hong Kong hub and the Greater Bay Area market picked up in late February after a slow start during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The carrier's Cathay Secure solution showed growth driven by electronics shipments from the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asia.

 [Source: Cathay Pacific]

"Demand from our Hong Kong hub and the wider Greater Bay Area market started slowly due to the Lunar New Year holiday but picked up towards the end of February. We observed continued growth in our Cathay Secure solution, driven by increased shipments of electronics from the Chinese Mainland and Southeast Asia," said Lavinia Lau, chief customer and commercial officer at Cathay.

Lau also highlighted Cathay Cargo’s role as the official airline sponsor of the Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show. The airline transported about 70 sports horses from Liège and London to Hong Kong, demonstrating its expertise in live animal logistics.

Market demand expected to increase in March

"For March, we expect market demand to pick up as we ramp up our scheduled freighter frequencies to prepare for the quarter end," Lau said.

"We are also keeping a close watch on the volatility of the cargo market and will leverage our built-in flexibility to adjust our network and capacity to capture demand changes," she added.