Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw double-digit growth in freighter movements in April but the coronavirus pushed cargo volumes that month to the same double-digit decline.

HKIA said freighter movements at HKIA saw a strong year-on-year increase of 24.3% in April, while cargo throughput remained lower than the same period last year.

 Double-digit decline in cargo volumes

Recently hailed as the busiest cargo airport in the world for 2019, HKIA noted that the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 persisted in April.

Cargo throughput dropped 14.2% compared to the same month last year, to 338,000 tonnes. In terms of passengers, HKIA handled 32,000 passengers and 9,445 flight movements in April, representing year-on-year decreases of 99.5% and 73.5%, respectively. 

"Cargo exports to some markets recorded year-on-year increases, with North America being the strongest market. The overall decline in cargo handled was mainly attributed to the 51% decline in transshipments, while exports increased by 4% compared to the same month last year," HKIA said in a release.

It noted that traffic to and from key trading regions in Southeast Asia and India decreased most significantly in the month.

“It is a challenging time for air cargo as airlines have suspended most of their passenger flights, leading to a significant reduction in belly capacity for cargo. However, the demand for air cargo has remained relatively strong, especially for commodities related to COVID-19 prevention, including face masks and other medical supplies, as well as consumer electronics," said Cissy Chan, executive director, commercial of Airport Authority Hong Kong said.

Relatively strong air cargo demand

"HKIA has maintained a relatively stable cargo throughput, attributable to the airport’s extensive freighter network and agility in facilitation of chartered cargo flights, in addition to airlines using passenger aircraft for all-cargo operations," she added.

Over the first four months of the year, cargo throughput at HKIA reached 1.3 million tonnes, a drop of 11.7% compared to the same period last year.

On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo throughput of 4.6 million tonnes was recorded, representing a decrease of 7.8% year on year.