HKIA Sets Monthly Records for Passenger Volume and Flight Movements in August

(HONG KONG, 13 September 2015)  －  Passenger volume and flight movements at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reached new monthly highs in August. Passenger throughput rose 8.8% year on year to 6.3 million, breaking monthly record for the second consecutive month. Flight movements increased by 3.4% to 34,870, while cargo volume dropped by 1.2% to 361,000 tonnes compared to the same month last year.

The growth in passenger traffic in August was driven primarily by Hong Kong resident traffic and transfer/transit traffic, which registered 13% and 11% growth respectively over the same month last year. Passenger traffic to/from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the most significant increases.

The decline in cargo throughput last month was mainly attributed to the 5% year-on-year drop in transshipments. Exports registered a slight growth while imports decreased by 1% compared to the same month last year. Amongst the key trading regions, Mainland China and Taiwan registered the most significant drop in the month. Traffic to/from Europe grew most significantly compared to other key regions. 

Henry Ma, General Manager, Market and Connectivity Development of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said, “We are delighted that HKIA saw another record breaking month in August, thanks to burgeoning demand in the summer. We anticipate another travel peak during the upcoming Mid-Autumn and National Day Golden Week holidays.”

"HKIA’s extensive flight network has recently expanded in Europe. We welcomed Scandinavian Airlines, which began operations at HKIA on 11 September, offering five-times-a-week service to Stockholm, Sweden. In addition, Cathay Pacific Airways started a new four-times-a-week passenger service to Düsseldorf on 1 September. This is the only direct service from Hong Kong to this bustling and dynamic German business centre," added Mr Ma.

In the first eight months of this year, HKIA handled 45.8 million passenger trips, 2.8 million tonnes of cargo and 268,685 flight movements, representing growth of 8.7%, 0.1% and 4.1%, respectively, over the same period last year.

On a rolling 12-month basis, passenger volume and cargo throughput grew by 7.9% and 1.6% to 67 million and 4.4 million tonnes, respectively. Flight movements climbed by 4.3% from the previous year to 401,545.