HKIA Records Steady Traffic Growth in March
- 14 Apr 2019
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw continued growth in all three traffic categories in March 2019. Passenger volume rose by 0.3% to 6.4 million compared to the same month last year, while flight movements increased by 1.3% to 36,735. Cargo throughput recorded year-on-year growth of 0.2% to 432,000 tonnes.
The growth in passenger volume was driven by higher levels of transfer and transit traffic, which together registered a year-on-year upsurge of 9%. Passenger traffic to and from India, mainland China and Japan recorded the most significant increases. Because the Easter peak season fell in late March last year, Hong Kong resident travel in March this year experienced a 10% year-on-year drop.
Exports saw an 11% increase in March, making the biggest contribution to cargo growth. Amongst key trading regions, cargo exported to North America and Europe posted the largest increases. Imports and transshipments both declined.
Over the first three months of the year, HKIA handled 18.8 million passengers and 105,695 flight movements, representing year-on-year increases of 2.5% and 1.1%, respectively. HKIA handled 1.1 million tonnes of cargo between January and March 2019, a 5.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2018.
On a 12-month rolling basis, HKIA handled 75.1 million passengers and 428,870 flight movements, representing respective increases of 2% and 1.3% over the same period last year. Cargo throughput experienced a slight decline of 0.6% to 5.06 million tonnes.
In addition, in order to manage the expected travel surge during the Easter holidays, additional manpower will be deployed to assist passengers at the terminals. Steven Yiu, Deputy Director, Service Delivery of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said, “Some 70 extra flights will be arranged during 18 April to 1 May for popular destinations including Taipei, Osaka, Nagoya and Busan. The airport community will work closely together to ensure smooth operations during the holidays.”
HKIA has prepared a series of festive Easter performances for passengers at Terminal 1, including singing and dancing by students and alumni of EXCEL (EXtension and Continuing Education for Life), the continuing education arm of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Meanwhile, HKIA has also been working with Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform, on a new arrangement to promote multi-modal connectivity services. Under the arrangement, overseas travel buyers can book multi-modal transfer services conveniently when reserving air tickets, ensuring a hassle-free experience for passengers commuting between HKIA and the cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Passengers will be able to take advantage of this new offering within this year.
