HKIA Announces Air Traffic Statistics for October

Airport Wins Two Major Awards for Passenger and Cargo Excellence

(HONG KONG, 13 November 2020, 1630hrs)  –  Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) today released the traffic figures for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for October 2020. During the month, HKIA handled 79,000 passengers and 10,880 flight movements, representing year-on-year decreases of 98.5% and 68.3%, respectively. Cargo throughput declined 5.7% to 404,000 tonnes compared to the same month last year.

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

On the cargo front, imports and exports increased by 10% and 2%, respectively, compared to the same month last year. However, transshipments experienced a significant decrease due to the shortage of belly capacity on passenger flights. Cargo throughput to and from Mainland China and Southeast Asia saw the most significant decreases during the month.

Over the first ten months of the year, HKIA handled 8.7 million passengers and 135,440 flight movements, equalling year-on-year decreases of 85.8% and 61.7%, respectively. Cargo throughput was 3.6 million tonnes, representing an 8.2% drop year-on-year.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passengers and flight movements decreased 73.5% and 52.6% to 19.4 million and 201,970, respectively. Cargo throughput fell 7% to 4.5 million tonnes.

AA also announced that HKIA was recently honoured with two prestigious international awards. HKIA was named “Asia’s Leading Airport 2020” at the World Travel Awards for its continuous achievements in providing a world-class travel experience for passengers. It was also named “Best Global Airport” by Asia Cargo News for excellence in the development of cargo-related infrastructure and the facilitation of air cargo ancillary services.

Vivian Cheung, Executive Director, Airport Operations of the AA, said, “We are honoured to receive these accolades. As a leading regional and international aviation hub, our mission is to provide a safe and pleasant journey for travellers at the airport. These awards recognise all airport staff for their professionalism and dedication to providing excellent and efficient passenger services. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also implemented a host of enhanced health measures featuring the latest technologies to ensure a safe journey at HKIA.”