HKIA Records Continuous Air Traffic Growth in May

18 Jun 2018

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) recorded continuous growth in all three air traffic categories in May 2018. Passenger volume increased by 1% to 6.04 million, cargo and airmail throughput rose by 4.3% to 436,000 tonnes, and flight movements increased by 1.6% to 35,985 compared to the same month last year.

Passenger growth in May was contributed by both Hong Kong residents’ travel and visitor traffic. The two passenger categories both grew by 5% year-on-year. Passenger traffic to/from Japan and Mainland China recorded the most significant increases.

Transshipments recorded year-on-year increase of 16%, contributing the most to the growth in cargo throughput. During the month, Southeast Asia and India increased most significantly among the key trading regions.

Over the first five months of the year, HKIA handled 30.7 million passengers and 2.03 million tonnes of cargo and airmail, representing year-on-year increases of 3% and 4.1% respectively. Flight movements increased by 2.3% to 175,930 compared to the same period in 2017.

On a rolling 12-month basis, HKIA recorded 73.8 million passengers, 5.13 million tonnes of cargo and airmail, and 424,590 flight movements, representing year-on-year growth of 3.9%, 6.5% and 2.9% respectively.

Separately, HKIA’s excellence in air cargo services was recently recognised with the prestigious “Best Global Airport” award at the Asian Freight, Logistics & Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards organised by Asia Cargo News, marking the third year in a row that HKIA has received the award. Award winners are determined by more than 10,000 Asia Cargo News readers, who praised HKIA for its comprehensive cargo handling facilities and efficient ancillary services.

Cissy Chan, Executive Director, Commercial for Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), said, “We are honoured that HKIA is so highly recognised by the global air cargo industry. This accolade is a result of the concerted efforts of the airport community, and I am proud to say that it also signifies more exciting developments to come. Recently we awarded the tender for a premium logistics centre at Kwo Lo Wan in the South Cargo Precinct of HKIA, which will provide further impetus to Hong Kong’s air cargo development by helping us capture the rapidly growing global e-commerce business.”

Meanwhile, HKIA’s extensive air network has been further enhanced as Air Belgium, a brand-new airline, launched its maiden route between Brussels South Charleroi Airport and HKIA in early June. Operating two flights per week, the direct flight service increases flight frequency from Hong Kong to the heart of Europe.