Hong Kong airport records 10% passenger growth as cargo falls for a second month

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw a 10% rise in passenger traffic during the first eight months of the year, with a 3.5% increase in flight movements to 269,900, according to the airport. Passenger numbers climbed 10.1% year on year to 44.3 million between January and August, while August saw 5.86 million passengers, up 3.5% from the previous year.

Transfer and transit passengers drove the growth, with traffic from the Chinese mainland and South Korea leading the way. August also experienced a 0.5% increase in flight movements to 34,995, mainly driven by growth in China and South Korea. Overall, passenger throughput reached 65 million on a rolling 12-month basis, up 11.4%, with flight movements at 403,850, a 4.5% rise.

A single-day peak of over 210,000 passengers was recorded on August 1. Cargo volume, however, declined 1.2% year on year, falling 8.8% in exports and 1.9% in imports. Southeast Asia and mainland China remained strong trading partners, helping to offset weaker traffic in Europe and the Middle East. From January to August, cargo traffic with mainland China grew 17% year on year, while traffic with Southeast Asia and Europe increased 14% and 8%, respectively, partially offsetting declines in North America and the Middle East.

Total cargo throughput for the eight months reached 3.34 million tonnes, up 2.6% from the same period last year, exceeding 5.15 million tonnes on a rolling 12-month basis, also up 2.7% year on year.