HKIA Records Steady Cargo Throughput in August as Passenger Demand Remains Weak

(HONG KONG, 11 September 2020, 1430hrs)  –  Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) today released the traffic figures of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for August 2020. During the month, the airport handled 84,000 passengers and 10,000 flight movements, representing year-on-year decreases of 98.6% and 72.0%, respectively. Cargo volume remained steady at 374,000 tonnes, recording a 3.5% drop year-on-year, while freighter movements saw year-on-year growth of 21.5% to 5,960, up from 4,906.

Travel demand remained weak as a result of the continuation of Hong Kong’s entry restrictions for non-residents, as well as immigration restrictions and quarantine measures implemented in different countries and regions. During the month, passenger traffic decreased significantly in all categories, namely Hong Kong residents, visitors and transfer/transit passengers, compared to the same month last year.

On the cargo front, though transshipments experienced a significant decrease due to shortage of belly capacity on passenger flights, exports and imports increased by 8% and 4% respectively compared to the same month last year. Overall cargo throughput to and from Southeast Asia and Mainland China experienced the most significant decreases during the month.

Over the first eight months of the year, HKIA handled 8.5 million passengers and 114,020 flight movements, representing 83.2% and 60.1% declines, respectively. Cargo throughput saw a decrease of 9.0% to 2.8 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger throughput and flight movements registered 60.6% and 42.0% year-on-year drops to 29.5 million and 248,285, respectively. Cargo throughput was 4.5 million tonnes, down 7.1% compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, to facilitate the Government’s quarantine procedures for arriving persons at HKIA, the Department of Health’s Temporary Specimen Collection Centre (TSCC) was moved from AsiaWorld-Expo to the Midfield Concourse (MFC) in the airport’s restricted area on 18 August.

Vivian Cheung, Executive Director, Airport Operations of the AA, said, “The TSCC has been operating smoothly at the MFC since its relocation. To ensure safety and prevent the spread of infection at HKIA, we have been working with the Government to implement a series of measures to separate airport staff and arriving persons. The AA has also installed an additional disinfection channel dedicated for staff members working at the TSCC, further strengthening our efforts to maintain a safe environment at HKIA.”