Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has recorded a 15% year-on-year increase in the passenger traffic, exceeding 2m in July, amid robust demand from those travelling to Paris for the Olympic Games. The airline said on Friday that July was a “milestone month” with 2,008,225 passengers, the first time the airline hit more than 2m in a single month since the pandemic. Lavinia Lau Hoi-zee, Cathay’s chief customer and commercial officer, said such robust demand was driven by the increased popularity of long-haul flights to and from Hong Kong in the first half of the month, among students and those visiting friends and relatives. “In addition, we saw strong demand for flights to Paris due to the Olympic Games, and we were delighted to carry a significant number of athletes and spectators to attend this momentous sporting occasion,” she said. Lau also highlighted the increase in travel to popular short-haul destinations in Japan and Southeast Asia during the latter half of July. In total, Cathay carried 12,667,826 passengers in the first seven months of this year, a 32.5% increase compared with the same period in 2023.<br/>