Traffic at HKIA Slows in August

(HONG KONG, 14 September 2008) — Passenger volumes at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) declined 5.3% in August 2008, to 4.2 million.  Cargo throughput and air traffic movements shrank 3.9% and 0.5%, respectively, from August 2007, to 311,000 tonnes and 25,430.

While outbound travel by Hong Kong residents grew slightly in August, visitor traffic to Hong Kong slowed.  Cargo exports and imports contracted, despite growth in transshipments to and from North America and the Chinese Mainland.

Stanley Hui Hon-chung, Chief Executive Officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said, “High fuel prices, rising inflationary pressures and global financial volatility exert escalating pressure on the aviation industry worldwide. These factors, as well as the tightening of Mainland visa applications due to the Olympics, contributed to lower passenger and cargo figures in August.”

“While the operating environment for the rest of the year will continue to be difficult, we remain committed to working with our business partners to equip the airport for long-term growth. For example, the expansion of DHL’s Central Asia Hub was completed recently and Cathay Pacific Services Limited has started construction of their new cargo terminal. We are also in the midst of a HK$4.5 billion terminal and airfield improvement program that will give us the capacity and facilities to take advantage of new opportunities,” Mr Hui added. 

HKIA is also in the process of updating its master plan for 2030, which includes studies on environmental and technical feasibilities for a third runway at the airport.

For the first eight months of 2008, passenger volume, cargo traffic and aircraft movements rose by 4.7%, 4.5% and 3.6% over the same period last year, to 33.0 million, 2.5 million tonnes and 201,170, respectively.

HKIA saw growth for the 12 months ended 31 August 2008, with passenger and cargo throughput increasing 6.0% and 5.2% from 2007, to 49.3 million and 3.8 million tonnes, respectively. Air traffic movements rose 4.3%, to 302,340.