Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the world's busiest cargo hub, continued to record double-digit air cargo growth in February, marking the sixth consecutive month of increase.
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) released the air traffic figures in Hong Kong for February and said cargo throughput maintained its growth momentum for the month, registering a year-on-year increase of 11.7% to 324,000 tonnes.
Month-on-month, however, February volumes were slightly lower than the 377,000 tonnes reported in January, which saw a rise of 31.1% year-on-year.
"Exports contributed most to this growth, rising by 30% compared to the same month last year," AAHK said in a statement.
It added that among key trading regions, traffic to and from North America, Europe and the Middle East saw the most significant increases.
Over the first two months of the year cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport rose by 21.3% to 701,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile, on a 12-month rolling basis, cargo throughput increased by 8.2% to 4.5 million tonnes. Flight movements were up 98.7% to 299,925.
HKIA also continued to expand its air network.
The AAHK said HK Express inaugurated a new flight route connecting HKIA and Beijing Daxing International Airport in March.
"We are delighted to see our home-based carrier launch a new flight route between Hong Kong and Beijing Daxing. Hong Kong and Beijing have close economic and cultural relationships. This new route will further strengthen the connections between the two cities and further consolidate our role as a gateway linking Mainland China and the world," said Vivian Cheung, chief operating officer of AAHK.
For 2023, HKIA said cargo throughput in December increased by 19.3% year-on-year to 418,000 tonnes.