Hong Kong carrier's cargo arm posts solid annual growth, with December volumes up 6% as Fresh and Expert solutions drive demand across key lanes
Cathay Cargo's 2025 volumes were up 9.4% year on year as it benefitted from solid demand for specialist cargo handling throughout the year as well as a stronger than expected peak season.
Cathay Cargo carried 1.7m tonnes of cargo in 2025, while performance was solid in December too, said the Cathay Group in a press release on 21 January.
The cargo division of Cathay Pacific carried over 152,000 kg of cargo in December. This was up 6% compared with December 2024. Capacity also increased by 8%.
As with the rest of the year, Cathay's specialist solutions boosted performance in December, noted Cathay chief customer and commercial officer, Lavinia Lau. She also said that while softer demand is expected in the first half of January, business will gain pace before the Lunar New holiday period.
Lau said: “Tonnage remained strong in December, despite a 3% decrease from the previous month as the festive season approached. Demand for our Cathay Fresh solution was strong, with the Air-Land Fresh Lane facilitating movements of seasonal produce from the Americas into the wider Greater Bay Area.
"Meanwhile, perishables from Oceania to Hong Kong also bolstered the overall growth of Cathay Fresh. Our Cathay Expert solution also performed well across Northeast Asia, driven by machinery movements within the region.
“Turning to January, we anticipate softer demand in the first half of the month but expect it to gradually pick up ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.”
Last month, Cathay Pacific’s new cargo director, Dominic Perret said that the cargo peak season had been stronger than anticipated.
