Cathay Pacific Airways·Aerospace·Hong Kong·Founded 1946·Last verified 31 May 2026
25
out of 100
Significant gapsPending Review

Cathay Pacific discloses emissions data and publishes annual sustainability reports, but absolute emissions are rising sharply as the airline expands. Its 2030 target is intensity-based, not absolute—a classic greenwashing marker. SAF uptake is negligible (0.3% of fuel), and net-zero claims face ClientEarth warnings. The company aligns with IATA's opposition to binding aviation climate regulation.

The calculation

Every score shows its working.

Same formula for every company. No curve. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale
Industry base impact
Aerospace sector ceiling.
38 / 100
Performance score
Sum of the 10 rubric questions, scored 0–10 each.
35 / 100
Raw score
Weighted average before scale penalty.
(0.3 × 38) + (0.7 × 35) = 35.9
Scale penalty
Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.
× 0.7
Final score
Rounded. Significant gaps.
25 / 100
The ten questions

Where Cathay Pacific Airways is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain (6/10, 5/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Water Impact (1/10, 2/10).

Where the evidence comes from

Every document used, listed.

13 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.

[1]Third-party verified
Cathay Pacific — Sustainability Organisation Profile
Ongoing
Q1Q2Q3Q8
View →
[2]Self-reported
Cathay Pacific Sustainability Reports Archive
Ongoing
Q1Q9
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[3]Self-reported
Cathay Pacific Climate Action
Ongoing
Q2Q4Q8
View →
[4]Public record
Cathay Pacific's Net-Zero Flight Plan: 12% Reduction Target by 2030
Unknown
Q3
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[5]Public record
Cathay Pacific Reports Strong 2024, Higher Passenger Numbers
2024
Q3
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[6]Self-reported
Cathay Pacific Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel Programme
Ongoing
Q4
View →
[7]Self-reported
Cathay Pacific Sustainability
Ongoing
Q5
View →
[8]Public record
How Cathay Pacific's Sustainability Mission is Taking Off
Unknown
Q5
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[9]Self-reported
Cathay Continues Its Sustainability Efforts
2024
Q6
View →
[10]Self-reported
Cathay Named Winner in Airline Ratings 2025 Sustainability Awards
2025
Q6
View →
[11]Self-reported
Cathay Pacific Sustainable Development Policy
Unknown
Q7
View →
[12]Third-party verified
ClientEarth: 71 Airlines Warned Over Potential Greenwashing
2025
Q10
View →
[13]Self-reported
Cathay Pacific Environment — Climate Change
Ongoing
Q10
View →

If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.

Cathay Pacific Airways in context

Where Cathay Pacific Airways sits among aerospace peers.

Among the 18 major aerospace brands we've scored, Cathay Pacific Airways sits 9th of 18.

9/18
Cathay Pacific Airways's rank
26
Industry average
20
Industry low
39
Industry high
How this score has moved

Cathay Pacific Airways's score over time.

today

Score history begins 6 April 2026.

As Cathay Pacific Airways's score updates, the trajectory will appear here.

We're backfilling historical scores for FTSE 100 and S&P 100 companies over the coming weeks.

What's being contested

This score is not currently being contested.

Every challenge is published. We'd rather be corrected than wrong — that's the whole point.

No challenges submitted yet. If you have evidence that contradicts this score, you can challenge any question above — cite a public source and we'll review it.

About Cathay Pacific Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways is Hong Kong's flag carrier, operating long-haul and regional services across 100+ destinations. Founded in 1946, it is one of Asia's largest full-service airlines and a major hub operator. The airline has recovered strongly from COVID-19 and is expanding capacity aggressively, making decarbonisation a critical challenge for the sector.

Founded
1946
Headquarters
Hong Kong
Employees
~30,100
Annual revenue
~$13.4B
Company website ↗
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