Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) — the world's busiest cargo hub in 2021 — continued to report lower cargo volumes in March marking the third straight month of decline due to flight reductions in the major cargo hub.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said during the month, cargo throughput dropped by 11.4% to 352,000 tonnes year-on-year as flight movements in the airport also declined to 9,870 or 7.3% lower than during the same period last year.

Month on month, cargo volumes in March were higher than the 272,000 tonnes 0 recorded in February.

North America, Europe declines

"Cargo throughput has declined due to flight reductions since the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19," AAHK said, adding that exports and imports experienced double-digit year-on-year declines, compared to the same month last year.

It added that overall cargo to and from North America and Europe experienced the "most significant decreases" during the month.

Over the first three months of the year, cargo throughput and flight movements at HKIA dropped by 9.2% and 1.0% to 1 million and 30,210, respectively.

On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo throughput at the airport rose 7.1% to 4.9 million tonnes.

For the month, HKIA handled 94,000 passengers, representing a year-on-year increase of 61.3%, although passenger traffic continued to remain significantly lower than the pre-pandemic level in 2019.  

AAHK said the growth in passenger throughput was mainly attributed to the growth in Hong Kong residents’ travel. During the month, departure passengers to Southeast Asia and Mainland China experienced the most significant increases.

The Hong Kong government lifted restrictions on arrival flights from nine countries on April 1 which is expected to boost capacity in the financial hub.

Busiest cargo airport in 2021

Meanwhile, commenting on HKIA's recent recognition as the World's Busiest Cargo Airport in 2021 by the Airports Council International (ACI), Cissy Chan, executive director, commercial of the AAHK, noted increased demand for e-commerce and medical supplies during the period which drove the rise in cargo throughput at the Hong Kong gateway.

"We are delighted that HKIA maintained its leading position as the World’s Busiest Cargo Airport in 2021. The pandemic has had a serious impact on flight operations globally, but it has also generated high demand for e-commerce and transportation of medical supplies," Chan said.

"With the airport's extensive freighter network, high efficiency and dedicated cargo operators, we saw double-digit growth in cargo throughput during 2021."

HKIA handled 5 million tonnes of cargo, representing a 12.5% growth compared to 2020. 

"AAHK is confident in the long-term development of HKIA's air cargo business and will continue to work closely with our business partners to enhance our performance," the AAHK executive said.