Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw its cargo throughput increase by 7.3% in May compared to the same month last year. 

In a statement, the Airport Authority (AA) said HKIA also handled 59,000 passengers for the month — recording a year-on-year increase of 57.7%, while flight movements dropped 4.3% to 10,875.

"The growth in cargo volume was mainly attributed to double-digit growth in imports compared to the same month last year," the Airport Authority said.

"Cargo to and from Southeast Asia and India experienced the most significant increases during the month," it added.

The year-on-year increase in passenger traffic was mainly attributed to the low base for comparison. Passenger traffic remained significantly below the pre-pandemic level of 2019 due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation.

Over the first five months of the year, HKIA handled 1.9 million tonnes of cargo, up 12.2%. Meanwhile, passenger numbers reached 296,000 with 51,765 flight movements, representing year-on-year decreases of 96.4% and 38.5%, respectively. 

On a 12-month rolling basis, the Airport Authority said cargo throughput saw an increase of 1.5% to 4.7 million tonnes.

In April, HKIA saw its cargo throughput increase by 15.5% year-on-year to 389,000 tonnes as imports continued to expand in the financial hub.