Hong Kong International Airport handled a total of 5.05 million tonnes of cargo and mail in 2017, becoming the first airport in the world to post a throughput of over 5 million tonnes, according to traffic statistics released by the airport authority.

“This achievement is particularly remarkable as we are concurrently handling over 72 million passengers annually,” said Fred Lam, chief executive officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong. “Such an accomplishment could not have been done without the support and dedicated service of our 73,000 airport community members. We are also honoured to be awarded with a number of recognitions during the year, such as the Best Airport in North & East Asia award at the Future Travel Experience Asia Awards, as well as Best Global Airport in The Asian Freight, Logistics & Supply Chain Awards by Asia Cargo News, reconfirming HKIA’s leading position as a regional and international aviation hub.”

Excluding airmail, the airport handled 4.94 million tonnes of cargo, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. The total number of flight movements rose by 2.2% to 420,630.

In December 2017, cargo throughput grew by 6.3% year-on-year to 462,000 tonnes, largely driven by transhipments and exports, both registering 8% year-on-year increases. Traffic to and from Europe and India grew most significantly during the month.

During the year, 13 new airlines began operations in Hong Kong, namely Air Cargo Global, Air Japan, Air Seoul, Cambodia Angkor Air, CargoLogicAir, Hong Kong Air Cargo Carrier, JC (Cambodia) International Airlines, Lanmei Airlines (Cambodia), National Air Cargo, Sky Gates Airlines, Small Planet Airlines, Virgin Australia and Western Global Airlines. The airport’s network also expanded with the addition of 17 destinations: Baotou, Christchurch, Frankfurt-Hahn, Huangshan, Indianapolis, Komatsu, London Stansted, Prague, Sendai, Sihanoukville, Taitung, Toowoomba, Verona, Warsaw, Yekaterinburg, Yuncheng and Zhangjiajie.

“HKIA is stepping into its 20th anniversary this year, and we are pushing ahead with a number of development projects to further enhance our passenger and cargo services,” said Lam. “On the cargo front, in addition to the IATA CEIV Pharma Partner Airport accreditation achieved in 2017, the AA is also launching a tender to develop a premium logistics warehouse in Kwo Lo Wan to enhance the handling of e-commerce shipments. Meanwhile, keeping pace with ever-changing traveller dynamics and technological innovations, we will also continue to incorporate new technologies and passenger-focused features into our daily operations to provide a world-class, smart airport experience to travellers from around the world.”