Cathay Pacific and Dragonair December total number of passengers up 8%

Yet the two airlines carried 142,122 tonnes of cargo and mail in the same month, down 11.9%.

Cathay Pacific Airways on Monday released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for December 2011 that show growth in passenger numbers closer to capacity growth than in previous months, though cargo and mail tonnage showed another significant year-on-year decline.

Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried a total of 2,460,016 passengers in December – up 7.9% on the same month last year – while the passenger load factor fell by 0.5 percentage points to 79.6%. Capacity for the month, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), was up by 8.7%. For 2011 as a whole, the number of passengers carried rose by 2.9% compared to the previous year, while capacity increased by 9.2%.

The two airlines carried 142,122 tonnes of cargo and mail in December, down 11.9% on the same month in 2010. The cargo and mail load factor was down by 9.6 percentage points to 67.8%. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, rose by 3.9%, while cargo and mail tonne kilometres flown were down by 9.0%. For the year as whole, tonnage dropped by 8.6% compared to a capacity increase of 6.9%, while cargo and mail tonne kilometres flown fell by 5.2%, according to a Cathay Pacific report.

Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management James Tong said: “December was a relatively strong month in terms of the number of people flying, with passenger growth almost keeping pace with capacity growth. Demand was strong over the Christmas peak and premium traffic held up well. The biggest area of concern was the continuing pressure on yield in the Economy cabin, particularly on long-haul routes. We’ll be seeing high loads again over the upcoming Chinese New Year peak but yield will remain an area of concern.”

Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing James Woodrow said: "The traditional year-end peak for our cargo business simply didn’t happen and our December figures were a disappointing end to what was a challenging year overall. Demand out of our key markets in Hong Kong and Mainland China remain soft and there is no sign of any upturn in prospect as we move into 2012. On the positive side, we have been seeing good contributions from recently added destinations such as Chongqing, Chengdu and Zaragoza and we will continue to seek out new business opportunities.”