Passenger numbers for Hong Kong’s Cathay go sky high with 27% increase

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Edith LinJanuary 21, 2026 at 01:11 PM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

In 2025, Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget airline, HK Express, experienced a significant increase in passenger numbers, carrying over 36 million passengers, a 27% rise compared to the previous year. Cathay Pacific saw a 26.5% increase to 28.87 million passengers, while HK Express grew by 29.7% to 7.91 million. This growth was attributed to a substantial expansion in passenger capacity, with available seat kilometers increasing by over 25%. December alone saw passenger numbers for Cathay Pacific and HK Express rise by 21.8% and 24.1% respectively. The increase in passenger numbers aligns with Hong Kong's overall tourism growth, which saw a 12% increase to nearly 50 million visitors in 2025.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Lavinia Lau Hoi-zee 60% Cathay Group 70% Hong Kong ×280% HK Express ×380% Cathay Pacific Airways ×390%

Keywords

passenger numbers 100% cathay pacific 90% increase 80% tourist numbers 70% passenger capacity 60% hk express 60% travel demand 50% available seat kilometres 50% hong kong 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.40

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Hong Kong

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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passenger numbers cathay pacific increase tourist numbers passenger capacity hk express travel demand available seat kilometres hong kong

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