HK airport May passenger traffic up 14.4pct; cargo up 41.9pct

Passenger traffic at Hong Kong’s airport rose 14.4 percent in May from a year earlier, when the swine flu outbreak hurt demand for air travel, the Airport Authority said Wednesday

The authority, which operates Hong Kong’s international airport, said the airport handled 4.12 million passengers in May, up from 3.60 million a year earlier.

Cargo throughput rose 41.9 percent to 367,000 metric tonnes in May from 259,000 tonnes a year earlier. The increase was the result of a low comparison base effect and the continued economic recovery in key export markets, especially Europe and North America, the authority said.

In a statement, Chief Executive Stanley Hui said the authority is confident the growth momentum will continue in the coming months, driven by the summer travel season, the Shanghai Expo and the return of travellers to Bangkok.

Separately, an Apple Daily report Thursday cited Hui as saying Hong Kong’s airport may invest HK$7 billion-HK$9 billion to increase its aircraft-handling capacity by 15 percent in 2015.

The airport aims to boost its hourly aircraft-handling capacity to 68 from 59 during the daily peak hours of 11am-3pm, the report cited Hui as saying.

 

Category: Hong Kong