Cathay Pacific Airways today released traffic figures for November 2004 that show passenger and cargo volumes responded well to seasonal upturns and the introduction of new winter season services.

The airline carried 1,187,548 passengers in November, up from 1,167,690 passengers carried in October. Figures were boosted by strong demand from business travellers and heavy traffic to and from the Middle East, Malaysia and Indonesia at the end of the festival of Ramadan.

The airline also added new services to Auckland, Brisbane, Dubai, Manila, Surabaya and Sydney. November's passenger load factor was 77.1 percent, flat compared to 77.6 percent the month before.

Cathay Pacific carried 86,933 tonnes of cargo, down from 90,533 tonnes in October simply on account of there being one less day in November. Cargo demand remained at a peak and the load factor dipped only slightly to 68.5 percent, down from 71.3 percent in October, even with addition of a third wet-lease freighter to the fleet. The airline takes delivery of a new B747-400 freighter in February.

Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management, Sales & Distribution Ian Shiu said: "Business traffic was buoyant, improving loads and yield, as companies sought to close deals by the end of the year. The end of Ramadan boosted loads in the back end and we operated a number of extra sectors to Indonesia and Malaysia in order to cope with the holiday-related travel. December will of course be another very busy month."

Cathay Pacific Director & General Manager Cargo Ron Mathison said: "November was another good month. Business out of Hong Kong on trunk routes to the US, Japan and Europe remained strong. Current indications say this should keep up through the end of the year."

Cathay Pacific Airways
Corporate Communication Department