Global economic uncertainties and disruptions to supply chains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic continued to weigh down the Hong Kong air cargo market in August.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) reported that cargo throughput dropped 21.0% in August to 338,000 tonnes — after the airport already reported a 17.0% year-on-year decline in July.

Flight movements also decreased by 11.3% to 11,390 compared to the same month last year.

"Cargo volume was affected by global economic uncertainties, continuing geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global supply chains," AAHK said, adding that for August, both exports and imports to and from Hong Kong were down.

During the month, exports and imports decreased by 25% and 20%, respectively, compared to the same month last year.

For August, AAHK said cargo traffic to and from key trading regions in North America and Europe registered the most significant decreases.

Over the first eight months of the year, Hong Kong International Airport — the world's busiest cargo hub — also saw an 11.1% drop in cargo tonnage to 2.8 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo throughput at the airport saw a decline of 2.9% to 4.7 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, AAHK said the airport handled 479,000 passengers, representing year-on-year growth of 116.3%, although traffic remained significantly below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.