HKIA reports 3.9% rise in passenger traffic in August 2012

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) recorded 5.2 million passengers in August 2012, reporting a rise of 3.9% over the corresponding month in 2011.

HKIA reported a 5.2% rise in flight movements to 30,470, up from 28,951 recorded last year, while cargo volume increased 3% to 328,000t during the month, compared to 318,000t recorded last year.

According to HKIA, the traffic was mainly boosted by a 7% increase in passengers over the earlier year, thanks to a rise in travel to and from South East Asia and Japan.

During the month, the airport’s cargo tonnage increased due to a rise in export volumes, with Japan and South East Asia’s cargo throughput surpassing all other regions.

Airport Authority Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui Hon-chung said that the airport anticipates a steady growth in the coming months as travel usually peaks at the end of the year, and, in particular, during major festivals and holidays, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day Golden Week.

"The addition of Almaty further expands HKIA’s extensive network of air services covering more than 170 destinations worldwide," Hon-chung said.

During the initial eight months of 2012, HKIA reported 5.6% and 0.2% rises in passenger traffic and cargo traffic to 37.9 million passengers and 2.6 million tonnes of cargo respectively, when compared to the same period in 2011.

HKIA reported a 5.4% rise in aircraft movements to 232,245 during January to August.

In the past 12 months, HKIA handled 55.9 million passengers, a 5.7% year-on-year rise, while flight movements climbed 5.3% to 345,695.

On a rolling 12-month basis, HKIA’s cargo volume declined 2.2% to 3.9 million tonnes.

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Image: HKIA’s August traffic was mainly boosted by the rise in demand during the summer holiday period. Photo: courtesy of Meelosh.