Cathay Pacific ended the year on a high and passed 20 million passengers in 2023.
That compares to just three million passengers carried for the whole of 2022.
The airline carried a total of 1,779,457 passengers in December 2023, which was up over 100% from 2022, although load factor was slightly down to 81.2%.
Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “December traditionally marks the peak travel season and we saw many customers take advantage of the extended Christmas holiday.”
Lau said there was high demand for short-haul leisure destinations, with Japan and Southeast Asia most popular.
“We also saw good demand for travel from the United States and the Southwest Pacific in the first half of December.”
In December there was high loadings from the UK, as it coincided with the peak period for international students returning to Hong Kong.
Lau added: “As we look ahead to 2024, we remain committed to working towards fully rebuilding our flights.”
“The Lunar New Year is approaching and this will mark another peak travel.
Cathay Pacific expects strong demand from late January until the end of the Lunar New Year holiday.
The airline’s popular Barcelona summer service will resume in June.
