Cathay Pacific said on Monday that it plans to add 700 flights in November and 1,200 flights in December, as passenger figures improved following the lifting of mandatory hotel quarantine for airport arrivals last month.

"We remain focused on adding as many passenger flights as we can, and have already added more than 400 flight sectors in October to and from regional and long-haul destinations since the September announcements by the government," Cathay said in a statement.

It said many of the additional flights are bound for popular destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka and London, adding that it’s noticed a "considerable increase" in demand for flights to Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul.

But the flag carrier said while the number of passengers it carried last month doubled from a year ago to 265,845, it was still down almost 90 percent compared to the same month in 2019.

It said it’s on track to reach its target of doubling its total number of destinations from the level it offered in January, to 58 by the end of the year. It's restored services to Madrid, Milan, Dubai, Kathmandu and Bengaluru this month.

Separately, Cathay said cargo tonnage fell nearly 21 percent year-on-year to 104,055 tonnes in September, as a result of the base effect from an "exceptionally high level" of cargo recorded in the same month last year.

But the airline also conceded that the decline was larger than expected because of weaker consumer demand and lower manufacturing activities on the mainland.