Smooth and Effective Cargo Operations at HKIA Support Global Supply Chains

As the world’s leading air cargo hub, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), along with its airport community, have been committed to maintaining quick and smooth delivery of cargo operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing important and urgent goods, such as anti-epidemic supplies, to be transported to destinations all around the globe.

HKIA has been recognised as the world’s busiest cargo airport for the tenth consecutive year in 2019 by handling 4.8 million tonnes of cargo annually. Normally, around 60% of the cargo at HKIA are carried by freighters, while the remaining 40% are transported using the belly of passenger aircraft. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages around the globe, worldwide governments have imposed travel restrictions and travel demand has plunged. The number of passenger flights at HKIA has seen a drop of over 80% in March to May 2020. Due to the decrease in the number of passenger flights, the overall capacity to transport cargo has also dropped.

Cissy Chan, Executive Director, Commercial of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) said, “In view of less cargo being carried by passenger aircraft, and to keep the global supply chain intact, the AA collaborated with different parties to boost our capacity to handle cargo, including closely coordinating with Government departments to facilitate the quick approval of flight slots for additional freighters and medical surveillance arrangement for freighter crew, while airlines have added freighter flights, or flexibly refitted their passenger aircraft to operate as what we call ’preighters’, carrying cargo only without passengers. Cargo terminal operators have also taken stringent measures to ensure the health and safety of the 4,000 staff working in the cargo terminals.”

With the concerted effort of the airport community, the number of cargo flights had seen a 24% and 29% year-on-year surge in April and May respectively, while the cargo throughput was relatively steady in comparison with the drop in passenger flights, recording 14% and 7% drop in April and May respectively, compared with the same month last year. The preighters carried 6% of the cargo at HKIA in the first five months of 2020.

Frosti Lau, Chairman, Carrier Liaison Group remarked, “Some airlines had earlier suspended passenger flights to Hong Kong due to the epidemic. Thanks to the measures taken to enhance cargo flight capacity, some of those airlines have flown to the city to carry medical supplies.”

Meanwhile, the volume of express cargo increased by 20% year-on-year in February to May, mainly attributable to the shipment of medical supplies, e-commerce products, and electronic consumer goods. Machinery, semiconductor and telecom products have been the top 3 in terms of volume transported, while that of medical supplies and chemical goods like disinfectants have recorded the highest spike. Samuel Lee, General Manager, Central Asia Hub, DHL said that they had seen a surge in medical supplies, as well as telecommunication products like laptops, video games, and fitness equipment as many people have been working from home.

“The AA has confidence in the long-term prospects of the air cargo sector,” Ms Chan said, and the AA would continue to actively work with the airport community on its development.

To download video, please go to:
https://corpvideo.hkairport.com/downloadmedia/index/download/flavorid/0_s7xzd759