This picture taken on January 5, 2023 shows a man walking past an electronic sign displaying flight details at Hong Kong International Airport. (PHOTO / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong International Airport handled 2.1 million passengers, marking a year-on-year surge of approximately 24 times, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said Sunday.
In a statement, the AAHK said cargo volume and flight movements saw year-on-year increases of 6.7 percent and 95.7 percent to 290,000 tonnes and 16,305, respectively.
Due to the relaxation of travel restrictions, all passenger segments experienced significant growths, particularly Hong Kong residents, compared to the same month last year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the most significant increases
Due to the relaxation of travel restrictions, all passenger segments experienced significant growths, particularly Hong Kong residents, compared to the same month last year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the most significant increases.
The AAHK said global economic uncertainties continued to cause impact on cargo volume, with the year-on-year increase in cargo volume during the month was mainly attributed to a low base for comparison with that February 2022.
Transshipments and exports increased by 46 percent and 3 percent, year-on-year respectively. The Middle East, the Chinese mainland and North America saw the most significant growth in terms of cargo volume, the AAHK said.
ALSO READ: HK tourist arrivals exceed 1m for first time since 2020
It said that, over the first two months of the year, the airport handled 4.2 million passengers, marking an increase of around 26 times compared to the same period in 2022.
Flight movements registered year-on-year increase by about 60 percent to 32,520, while cargo volume dropped by 12.8 percent to 578,000 tonnes, the AAHK said.
On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume increased year on year by around six times to 9.7 million, while flight movements raised 3.9 percent to 150,895. Cargo throughput saw a decline of 17.2 percent to 4.1 million tonnes, it added.
Flight movements and passenger volume have been going up as flights on more routes continued to resume in recent months.
On March 26, direct flights between HKIA and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport resumed, with three daily flights to Hongqiao initially, the AAHK said.
READ MORE: Yeung: More tourists to visit HK after full boundary reopening
Hongqiao Airport had suspended all international inbound and outbound flights since March 2020 for pandemic control.
HKIA has a close partnership with Hongqiao Airport. Since 2009, a joint venture between AAHK and the Shanghai Airport Authority has managed the terminal operations and retail businesses at Hongqiao Airport, the AAHK added.