Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the world's busiest cargo hub, continued to record double-digit air cargo growth in January, marking the fifth consecutive month of increase.

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) released the air traffic figures in Hong Kong for last month and said cargo throughput in January kept up with its solid momentum for the month, registering a year-on-year increase of 31.1% to 377,000 tonnes.

The month also saw a substantial year-on-year increase in exports of 44.5%.

AAHK noted that traffic to and from key trading regions in North America, Europe and the Middle East posted the highest increases in January.

On a 12-month rolling basis, HKIA said flight movements and cargo throughput saw year-on-year surges of 101.9% and 7.9% to 288,620 and 4.4 million tonnes, respectively.

HKIA said it also continued to expand its extensive air network.

The airport recently welcomed two new airlines: Ruili Airlines connecting with Nanning in Mainland China, and Cambodia Angkor Air connecting with Phnom Penh.

For 2023, HKIA said cargo throughput in December increased by 19.3% year-on-year to 418,000 tonnes.