Cathay Cargo’s air cargo volumes in June were bolstered by postponed tariffs and demand from Southeast Asia and the Taiwan region to the Americas.
The cargo division of Cathay carried over 130,000 tonnes of cargo in June, up 6.3% year on year.
Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 5% while load factor decreased by 1.1 percentage points year on year.
In the first six months of 2025, the total tonnage increased by 11.3% compared with the same period for 2024.
Chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: “Our cargo business continued to see year-on-year growth in June, largely due to tariff timelines and resulting market behaviour.
“We observed significant growth in tonnage from Southeast Asia and the Taiwan region to the Americas, driven by both general cargo and high tech electronics. Our Cathay Pharma solution also performed well across long-haul trade lanes in particular.
“For July, we expect demand uncertainties to persist and we will continue to closely monitor developments over the coming weeks.”
In May, Cathay Cargo reported reduced air cargo demand from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland following tariff and de minimis changes, but said volumes from other parts of its network were helping to fill the gap.
The following month the airline said its cargo volumes actually increased in May as the US and China paused their tariff war and additional capacity boosted performance.
The US and China currently have a 90-day agreeement in place, until 11 August, for a 10% duty rate on imports from China.
Recent figures from consultant Aevean showed that China to US volumes during April-May declined by 20% year on year.
