News
Cathay’s load factor dips again
April 22nd 2016
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways on Wednesday followed the Big Three’s lead when it announced another year-on-year decrease in its load factor, from 87.3% in March 2015 to 83.9% this year, amid added capacity. Read More » “The growth in passenger numbers was not able to keep pace with the growth in capacity, leading to a drop in load factor”, Patricia Hwang, general manager of revenue management at Cathay said. In the 12 months to March 2016, capacity growth totalled 6.5% whilst the growth in passenger numbers was lower at 5.5%.
Cathay’s overall March traffic grew 2.6%, while passenger numbers at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) improved 4.8% year-on-year.
Announcing its best annual results in five years in March, despite a decline in premium cabin demand, Cathay said 2016 would be “challenging” as the economy goes through a downturn and “competitive markets” persist.
In Beijing, Air China earlier this week reported a 3.1% March load factor dip, to 78.5%, despite carrying 4.3% more passengers. Guangzhou’s China Southern Airlines recorded a 2.9% drop in cabin loads, while Shanghai’s China Eastern Airlines said its load factor slid 1.4%.
