LONDON: Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways declared on Wednesday an interim dividend, citing strong performance, even as first-half profit dropped 15 per cent from a year ago.
"Our strong performance for the first six months of the year was primarily driven by the ongoing robust demand for travel, and the solid performance of our cargo business," Chair Patrick Healy said in a statement.
However, the group's load factor, or share of seats sold on flights, fell to 82.4 per cent from 87.2 per cent in the first half of 2023.
Passenger yield, a measure of flight profitability, decreased by 11 per cent to HK68.9 cents, the company said.
Cathay, which made heavy losses and layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, reported its first annual profit in four years in March, and paid its first dividend since 2019.