Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) said it achieved new annual heights for all three air traffic categories last year.
During the year, HKIA handled 74.7 million passengers and 427,725 flight movements, representing yearly increases of 2.5% and 1.7%, respectively. The total cargo throughput also increased by 1.5% year-on-year to 5.1 million tonnes.
Fred Lam, chief executive officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), said, “It’s gratifying to see HKIA scale new heights in 2018 on all three air traffic categories, attesting to the dedication, resilience and contribution of our 73,000 airport community members. We are also honored to be awarded with a number of recognitions during the year, solidifying HKIA’s leading position as a regional and international aviation hub.”
In December 2018, flight movements and passenger volume experienced steady growth, while cargo volume declined. Flight movements reached 37,085, registering a 1.2% year-on-year increase. Passenger volume during the month rose 1.7% yearly to reach 6.53 million, while cargo throughput decreased 5.2% from December 2017 to 448,000 tonnes.
Passenger growth in December was mainly driven by 3% growth in visitor traffic. During the month, Hong Kong resident travel also experienced 2% growth. Overall passenger traffic to and from Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe recorded the most significant increases.
Amid the uncertain global economic situations, both imports and exports dropped by 7% last month, resulting in the decrease in overall cargo throughput. Among the key trading regions, traffic to and from Europe and Southeast Asia decreased most significantly in the month.
“Looking forward, several capacity enhancement projects will commence to cater for the surging demand. The Terminal 1 Annex Building will commence operation in 2019. After the commissioning, there will be over 40 new check-in counters with self-bag drop facilities and two additional baggage reclaim carousels. The project will also provide more seats, shops and catering outlets in the expanded Arrivals Hall.”
Meanwhile, to keep pace with ever-changing traveler dynamics and technological innovations, “we will continue to launch new initiatives and passenger-focused features to provide a vibrant, world-class experience for travellers,” concluded Lam.
Photo courtesy of HKIA
