HK International Airport flies a record 5m passengers in August

Flight movements also surged 6.7% to a new high of 28,940.

According to a release, Hong Kong International Airport saw strong growth in flight movements and passenger volume in August, as flight movements rose 6.7% from a year earlier to a new high of 28,940, while passenger trips increased 6.5% to a new record high of 5 million.

Cargo tonnage amounted to 319,000 over the same period, down 7.8% year on year.

The growth in passenger traffic was mainly driven by visitors' traffic which saw growth of 10%, and transfer/transit passengers which were up 8% over the same period last year. Passenger traffic to and from South East Asia performed particularly well.

Airport Authority Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said during the month, a new high of more than 249,000 passengers used the ferry services at the SkyPier connecting the airport to eight ports in the Pearl River Delta, which represented a year-on-year growth of 11%.

He added the growth momentum in passenger traffic would continue as another travel peak is anticipated during the National Day Golden Week holidays.

The decline in cargo throughput was mainly attributable to the 11% drop in exports compared to the same month last year. Imports and transshipments fell 5% and 1% compared to the same month last year. Europe, North America, Taiwan and Japan experienced double-digit year-on-year declines.

Over the past 12 months, the airport handled 52.9 million passengers and more 4 million tonnes of cargo, representing increases of 7.3% and 1.3%. Aircraft movements also saw an increase of 12%, amounting to 328,110.