Cargo growth remains strong at HKIA

(HONG KONG, 16 November 2003) - Cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport has continued to increase, reaching a record high of 262,000 tonnes in October.

October cargo throughput was up 5.1% compared with October last year. Cargo throughput for the past 12 months reached 2.59 million tonnes, a 7.9% increase over last year, which set another record high.

Strong cargo growth has been driven by a robust recovery of the US economy and surging shipping orders to the US and Europe for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Passenger recovery remained steady, with 2.86 million passengers passing through the airport last month, down 5.2% year-on-year. This figure represented an increase of 9% over September.

In October, a total of 18,605 aircraft movements was recorded, a slight decrease of 0.5%. Cargo flights increased by 4.7%, while passenger flights decreased by 0.5%.

Passenger throughput for the past 12 months was 27.38 million. In the same period, aircraft movements totalled 185,875.

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