Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw passenger traffic and cargo volume decline in full-year 2019 and December 2019 as the territory was rocked by political unrest and absorbed the impact of global economic slowdown and trade tensions.
For the whole of 2019, HKIA handled 71.5 million passengers, a 4.2% drop in passenger volume compared to 2018, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) said.
Total cargo throughput declined 6.1% in 2019 year-on-year to 4.8 million tonnes. Of this, unloaded cargo totaled 1.6 million tonnes, a contraction of 9.4%, while loaded freight fell 4.2% year-over-year to 3.2 million tonnes.
In December 2019, HKIA registered a 12.5% decline in passenger volume to 5.7 million, while cargo throughput decreased slightly by 1% to 443,000 tonnes compared to December 2018. Cargo unloaded added up to 145,000 tonnes, a fall of 6.7%, while cargo loaded rose 2% year-on-year to 299,000 tonnes
Passenger volume continued to be affected by weak visitor traffic in December 2019. Passenger figures to and from Mainland China and Southeast Asia experienced the most significant decreases during the month. However, transfer/transit traffic and Hong Kong resident travel registered strong year-on-year growth of 14% and 9%, respectively.
Exports saw a 3% year-on-year increase in December 2019 while imports and transshipments both remained weak. Amongst key trading regions, cargo exported to Europe, India and Japan contributed the most growth.
Vivian Cheung, executive director of airport operations for the AA, said, “We went through a challenging year in 2019… Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance the airport’s facilities to improve the passenger experience at HKIA even more.”
Photo by Isaac Struna on Unsplash
