Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKIA) cargo volumes fell in March by 2.5 per cent to 422,000 tonnes, due to a double-digit drop in exports.
While imports recorded a 13 per cent growth in March, the decline in cargo throughput was mainly attributed to the 12 per cent year-on-year (YOY) drop in exports.
Among the key trading regions, South Korea and Europe registered the most significant drop during the month.
Over the first three months of the year, HKIA handled 1.15 million tonnes of cargo, a YOY increase of 4.2 per cent. On a rolling 12-month basis, HKIA handled five million tonnes of cargo with a YOY increase of 7.5 per cent.
HKIA has been ranked the world’s busiest cargo airport by Airports Council International for 2017, occupying the top spot for the eighth consecutive year. In 2017, HKIA achieved record-breaking cargo throughput of 4.94 million tonnes, a YOY rise of 9.2 per cent.
Together with the 112,000 tonnes of airmail the airport handled in 2017, HKIA’s total cargo and airmail throughput exceeded the five million tonne mark for the first time.
