Cathay Pacific Airways carried 3.8 per cent fewer passengers last month compared with April last year, but denies the figure is a setback to its hopes the industry is on the rebound.
The carrier yesterday said that while it showed 'negative growth in passenger traffic [it made] strong gains in cargo'.
Cathay said it carried 993,285 passengers last month, while cargo carried by the airline rose 12.7 per cent year on year to 64,151 tonnes.
Ian Shiu, Cathay general manager of revenue management, sales and distribution, said: 'Traffic volumes for the first four months are much better than we would have predicted at the start of the year.'
He said the drop in passenger traffic last month could be explained by the fact that the Easter peak travel season fell a month early this year in March.
'Holidays falling at different times can influence comparisons between monthly figures. Yet the trend is that more people are travelling, which augurs well for the rest of the year,' Mr Shiu said.
Cumulative figures for passenger traffic in the first four months showed a 0.3 per cent increase over last year, while cargo rose 10 per cent over the period.