Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has
reported another year of strong traffic performance, setting new
annual records in both passenger volume and flight movements.
Last
year, HKIA welcomed a total of 56.5 million passengers and handled
352,000 aircraft movements, representing annual growth of 4.7% and
5.3% respectively. Cargo volume showed rebound over the past five
months, making the total cargo handled for the whole year rose
2.2% to 4 million tonnes.
HKIA also reported 30,800 flight
movements in December 2012, a 5.1% year-on-year increase and a new
monthly record. The previous record for monthly flight movements
was set in August 2012. During the month, the airport also
received five million passengers and handled 372,000 tonnes of
cargo, registering year-on-year growth of 3.9% and 7.6%
respectively.
The growth in passenger traffic was driven
mainly by Hong Kong resident travel, which saw a 7% rise over the
same month last year. Passenger traffic to and from South East
Asia and Taiwan performed particularly well. Growth in December
cargo throughput was primarily due to an 8% year-on-year growth in
exports. During the month, cargo throughput to and from North
America and the Chinese Mainland outperformed other key regions.
Stanley Hui Hon-chung, Chief Executive Officer of Airport
Authority Hong Kong, said, "Despite the challenging global economic environment, regional economic growth continued to drive
traffic increases at HKIA in 2012. This past year we welcomed nine
new airlines and expanded our global network to about 170
destinations. The airport community's 65,000 staff also keeps
delivering consistently world-class service, delighting travellers
from Hong Kong and around the world and helping HKIA win
recognition as the world’s best airport more than 50 times over
the years."
New annual records were also set in
cross-boundary traffic, underlining HKIA's position as an
increasingly important multi-modal transport centre connecting
Hong Kong to the Mainland. During the year, traffic between HKIA
and Pearl River Delta destinations via limousines/ coaches and
ferry services at the SkyPier grew by 3.5% and 8% to over 1.9
million and 2.6 million passenger trips respectively.
"Heading into 2013, whilst the financial woes in the Eurozone will
probably continue and the weak market conditions in the US remain
for some time, GDP growth forecasts for the Chinese Mainland and
South East Asia are 8.1% and 5.2%, respectively, much higher than
most other parts in the world. We are therefore cautiously
optimistic about achieving mild traffic growth at HKIA in 2013.
The over HK$12 billion Midfield and apron development projects are
in full swing, which will enable us to manage traffic growth in
the medium-term. We are also keenly focused on achieving
sustainable development while operating HKIA safely, efficiently
and reliably, in line with the airport’s unsurpassed reputation
for service excellence," Mr Hui added.
HKIA,
Hong Kong Airport,
Hong Kong
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