Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is extending the suspension of passenger and freight flights to Dubai and Riyadh until at least April 30th.
In a Wednesday announcement, coupled with its February traffic figures, the group’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer noted that “Turning to March, the global geopolitical environment is volatile, and this is causing unexpected shifts in passenger and cargo traffic clows as well as a significant increase in the price of jet fuel”.
The executive furthered: “As customers prioritize alternative travel routes due to airspace closures in the Middle East, we have added extra flights to London and provided 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”.
Wynn Resorts on March 11th indicated that the construction of its integrated resort Wynn Al Marjan Island had ‘resumed following a short pause’, with team members ‘able to continue their work in a consistent manner’. The IR is expected to open in early 2027. MGM Resorts’ non-gaming development in Dubai is also under construction, with an expected opening date in late 2028, with the company indicating the project has not been significantly disrupted by the ongoing conflict.
Despite the uncertainty caused by the Middle East situation, the Cathay Pacific executive indicated that “bookings remain robust for the rest of March, driven by leisure travel across Asia”.
Cathay saw a yearly uptick of 24 percent in passenger numbers in February to 3.2 million (including Cathay Pacific and HK Express), boosted by the Lunar New Year holiday. Cathay Pacific passengers totaled 2.55 million, up by 24.3 percent yearly.
The group’s low budget arm HK Express saw a 25 percent uptick in passengers, to 730,000, with South Korea routes being the most popular. Malaysia and mainland China also saw “a significant increase in demand […] which outpaced capacity growth”.
