Cathay Cargo recorded strong growth in August, handling 151,904 tonnes of cargo, an 8.6% year-on-year increase, even as overall cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) declined during the month.
Cathay Cargo’s August performance was supported by healthy demand across key markets. Available freight tonne-kilometres increased 1.4%, while revenue freight tonne-kilometres rose 3.1%. The cargo load factor improved by 0.9 percentage points to 57.4%.
The carrier said demand for its Cathay Expert service was supported by strong semiconductor shipments within Asia. Cathay Pharma also recorded notable growth from Europe and the Chinese Mainland, while Cathay Priority benefited from customers replenishing inventories ahead of the traditional year-end air cargo peak.
For the first eight months of 2026, Cathay Cargo handled 1.17 million tonnes, up 8.2% from the same period last year. Available freight tonne-kilometres increased 3.1%, while the year-to-date cargo load factor reached 58.9%.
In contrast, HKIA handled about 422,000 tonnes of cargo in August, down 1.2% year on year. Export cargo fell 8.8%, although the decline was partly offset by an 18.2% increase in transshipment cargo and a 3.6% rise in imports.
Despite the August decline, HKIA’s cumulative cargo throughput remained higher for the year. Cargo volume for January-August increased 2.6% to 3.34 million tonnes, with stronger traffic from the Chinese Mainland and Southeast Asia helping offset weaker flows involving North America and the Middle East.
Cathay expects air cargo demand to remain firm as the industry approaches the traditional peak season, with high-tech product launches and inventory replenishment providing additional support.