Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) recently announced the air traffic figures of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for September 2022. During the month, passenger throughput at HKIA reached 525,000, marking a year-on-year increase of 132.7%. Cargo and flight movements handled were 341,000 tonnes and 11,665, respectively, representing decreases of 25.0% and 16.3% compared to the same month last year.
The growth in passenger throughput was driven mainly by increases in both Hong Kong resident and visitor traffic due to the relaxation of quarantine requirements for inbound travellers. Passenger traffic to and from Southeast Asia experienced the most significant increase.
Cargo volume was affected by global economic uncertainties, ongoing geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global supply chains. Exports and imports saw decreases of 30% and 25%, respectively, compared to the same month last year. Cargo traffic to and from key trading regions in North America and Europe registered the most significant decreases.
Following the Government’s announcement of adjustments to quarantine arrangements, AAHK has been working closely with the airport community to prepare for air traffic recovery. Vivian Cheung, Executive Director, Airport Operations of AAHK, said, “We are maintaining close communications with our business partners to ensure that we are ready to handle the expected increase in passenger flow. AAHK spared no effort to ensure health and safety at HKIA, adopting biometrics in the touchless boarding process and introducing cleaning robots, among others. Passengers can also anticipate a new and enhanced airport experience brought by upgrades to our terminal facilities. We remain very confident in the airport’s long-term development and traffic growth.”
In the first nine months of the year, HKIA handled 2.2 million passengers, up 139.5% from the same period last year. Cargo volume and flight movements were 3.1 million tonnes and 96,685, respectively, representing drops of 12.9% and 4.7% from the same period last year.
On a 12-month rolling basis, the airport handled 2.7 million passengers and 140,065 flights, marking year-on-year growth of 123.7% and 1.8%, respectively. HKIA handled 4.6 million tonnes of cargo, representing a decrease of 6.7% compared to the same period last year.
