Cathay Cargo reported a continued rise in freight volumes for February, although month-on-month demand eased from January due to the Lunar New Year slowdown.

The cargo arm of Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific carried 7% more cargo last month than in February 2025 at 127,442 tonnes while Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 4%. ​

Compared to January, however, February's cargo volume was slightly lesser than the over 130,000 tonnes of cargo it transported at the start of the year.

In the first two months of 2026, the total tonnage increased by 6% compared with the same period for 2025.

Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said February's performance reflected typical Lunar New Year seasonality, with a pre-holiday surge followed by softer demand later in the month.

"Cargo tonnage in February declined against the previous month due to the Lunar New Year holidays. We saw a pre-holiday rush across our home market and the wider Greater Bay Area, followed by softer demand later in the month," Lau said. "Meanwhile, demand for our Cathay Secure solution remained resilient, particularly from Europe and the Americas to Asia, while our Cathay Live Animal solution saw notable growth, supported by increased live lobster shipments from Oceania to Hong Kong."

"Turning to March, overall air cargo demand is expected to improve as we ramp up our scheduled freighter frequencies in preparation for the quarter end," Lau added.

Looking ahead to March, Lau said the carrier is navigating a volatile geopolitical environment that is impacting trade flows and  driving up fuel costs.

"Turning to March, the global geopolitical environment is volatile and this is causing unexpected shifts in passenger and cargo traffic flows as well as a significant increase in the price of jet fuel," she said.

"In view of the current situation in the Middle East, we have temporarily suspended Cathay Pacific's passenger flights as well as Cathay Cargo's freighter services to Dubai and Riyadh up to and including April 30, 2026."

The Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer noted that it has instead offered alternative routes due to airspace closures in the Middle East, with added extra flights to London and additional capacity to Zurich in March to cater for a surge in demand for Europe.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will remain agile in our response," Lau said.