Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reported another cargo growth in June driven by a continued rise in transshipment and imports despite persisting low passenger numbers. 

In a statement, the Airport Authority (AA) said HKIA handled 399,000 tonnes of cargo last month, up 11.5% year on year as flight movements also increased by 10.9% to 11,050 compared to the same month last year.

During the month, passenger volume also increased by 40.1% year on year to 83,000 passengers, cargo throughput rose by 11.5% year on year, although it remains lower than pre-coronavirus levels in 2019.

"The growth of cargo volume was mainly attributed to double-digit growth in both transshipments and imports compared to the same month last year. Exports also increased by 8% year on year," HKIA said.

The world’s busiest international cargo airport noted that cargo to and from Southeast Asia experienced the most significant increase during the month.

Meanwhile, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, passenger traffic remained significantly below the pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019. It said the year-on-year increase in passenger traffic was mainly attributed to the low base for comparison. Traffic to and from Mainland China and Europe recorded significant increases.

Over the first half of the year, cargo throughput at HKIA rose 11.9% to 2.3 million tonnes. On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo saw an increase of 3.0% to 4.7 million tonnes.