Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Asia's second-most profitable carrier, filled more seats for a sixth straight month in September, helped by higher business travel.

The airline flew 1.3 million passengers last month, an increase of 4.6 percent from a year earlier, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific said on October 12.

It filled 76.6 percent of available seating, up from 76.4 percent, after traffic grew at a faster rate than capacity.

Like many other Asian airlines, Cathay Pacific is carrying more passengers as economic growth in the region spurs demand for leisure and business travel.

Cathay Pacific, which has been adding to its fleet, completed a US$1.1 billion purchase of a smaller Hong Kong carrier last month to expand its Chinese mainland network.