Cathay foresees passenger demand rising in 2026

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific says the performance of its Thailand routes is rebounding in the second half after being hampered by unsafe travel sentiment, with strong demand from transit passengers, particularly the long-haul market.

- MOLPASORN SHOOWONG

The airline is focusing on strengthening performance for existing routes in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Lavinia Lau, chief customer and commercial officer for Cathay, said the group sees passenger demand on a healthy trajectory next year.

Ms Lau said the group focuses on a dual branding strategy, with Cathay Pacific and its low-cost carrier HK Express posting a 20% uptick in flight capacity this year.

Capacity on Cathay Pacific’s core routes in Southeast Asia has already returned to 2019 levels. For instance, it is now operating up to eight flights a day between Hong Kong and Bangkok, and eight flights a day between Hong Kong and Singapore.

Meanwhile, HK Express has been a growth engine for the group, and it recently launched flights to two Malaysian cities — Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, she said.