United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Cathay Pacific passenger traffic down 99 per cent in January
Cathay Pacific released its January 2021 passenger traffic numbers and it’s as bad as it feared.
The airline has been hit as hard as any airline in Asia and revealed a year-on-year drop of 99%.
It carried just less than 1,000 passengers a day.
Revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) sank 98.7% year-on-year.
"The dire situation ‘continued to reflect the airline’s substantial capacity reductions in response to significantly reduced demand and travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in place in Hong Kong and other markets," the airline said.
Cargo operations fared better but tonnage was still down 28%.
Load factor for January was at a record low of just 13.3%, said Ronald Lam, Cathay’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer.
"2021 has already got off to a difficult start. Many of the challenges of 2020 continued into January while a number of new ones have also emerged, most notably new Covid-19 strains and more severe lockdowns in some of our key markets," he said.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Foreign Office issues travel advisory for winter sun destinations