Hong Kong Airport records steady cargo traffic growth in March

April 16, 2019: Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw cargo throughput record year-on-year growth of 0.2 percent to 432,000 tonnes in March. The airport tells us through a statement that exports, that saw 11 percent increase, contributed the most to the growth.

Amongst key trading regions, cargo exported to North America and Europe posted the largest increases. Imports and transshipments both declined.

Whereas, the passenger traffic rose 0.3 percent to 6.4 million compared to the same month last year. The growth in passenger volume was driven by higher levels of transfer and transit traffic, which together registered a year-on-year upsurge of 9 percent. Passenger traffic to and from India, mainland China and Japan recorded the most significant increases. Because the Easter peak season fell in late March last year, Hong Kong resident travel in March this year experienced a 10 percent year-on-year drop.

The figures of the first three months reflect 2.5 percent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic and 5.4 percent year-on-year surge in cargo traffic.

On a 12-month rolling basis, HKIA handled 75.1 million passengers and 428,870 flight movements, representing respective increases of 2 percent and 1.3 percent over the same period last year. Cargo throughput experienced a slight decline of 0.6 percent to 5.06 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, HKIA has also been working with Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform, on a new arrangement to promote multi-modal connectivity services. Under the arrangement, overseas travel buyers can book multi-modal transfer services conveniently when reserving air tickets, ensuring a hassle-free experience for passengers commuting between HKIA and the cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Passengers will be able to take advantage of this new offering within this year.

Also read: Hong Kong Airport registers 12.9 percent cargo growth in May this year