Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the world's busiest cargo airport, continued to experience double-digit growth in its air freight volumes in June, primarily due to increased export cargo. 

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) released the air traffic statistics for HKIA for last month, where the hub saw a 24.9% year-on-year increase in cargo volumes.

Air freight volumes reached 417,000 tonnes and rose for the ninth consecutive month in June. This is slightly higher than the 416,000 tonnes recorded in May.

Cargo throughput also maintained its rising momentum and recorded double-digit year-on-year growth for six consecutive months in the first half of 2024," AAHK said in a statement.

"Export cargo remained the main driver of the growth," it added.

The airport noted that among key trading regions, cargo traffic to and from North America, Europe and Southeast Asia increased most significantly during the month.

Over the first half of the year, cargo traffic increased 17.9% to 2.4 million tonnes. Flight movements increased 47.1% to 174,745 compared with the same period in 2023.

On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo throughput reported a 14.8% increase to 4.7 million tonnes, and flight movements saw almost 69.9% growth to 332,040.

 [Source: Airport Authority Hong Kong]

Cissy Chan, executive director of commercial of AAHK, said that as the world's busiest cargo airport and the international cargo gateway for the Greater Bay Area, the hub has been enhancing its cargo services and capabilities by leveraging the extensive air network and the state-of-the-art cargo facilities at HKIA.

"We will continue to provide unparalleled cargo service and reinforce our role as the leading cargo airport in the world," she said, welcoming HKIA's being named the "Best Global Airport" at the 2024 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards.

Recently, AAHK announced the introduction of a new programme to provide incentives for airlines to open more routes and increase the frequency of flights connecting to Hong Kong, further strengthening the position of HKIA as an international aviation hub.