Cathay Pacific announced Monday that the airline in January carried 1.39 million passengers, a 15.1-percent increase over the same month last year.

Cathay Pacific said demand was strong to Australia and New Zealand, where it was the height of summer, and also to destinations within Southeast Asia -- places that many leisure travelers avoided last year following the Indian Ocean tsunami.

The airline carried 91,366 tons of cargo in January, a 21.9 percent rise over the same month in 2005. A boost to shipments is normal during the run-up to the Chinese New Year.

Two additional freighters have joined the fleet in the past year and new services commenced to Shanghai, Dallas and Atlanta.

"Business over the Chinese New Year was good considering it fell so close to Christmas. Although loads have been high, stiff competition on many key routes and a strengthening of the US dollar against foreign currencies depressed yield," said Ian Shiu, Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management, Sales & Distribution.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2006)