Hong Kong Airport's transshipment cargo volume fell 4.7% year-on-year

Hong Kong International Airport handled 391,000 tonnes of cargo in January, down 4.7% from the same month in 2021 (410,000 tonnes) due to a drop in transshipment cargo.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said that as the world's largest international cargo hub, Hong Kong's cargo aircraft movements increased from 6,278 in January last year to 7,165, an increase of 14.1% over the same period last year.

The Airport Authority of Hong Kong said that due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus Omicron variant worldwide, fewer flights have resulted in a drop in cargo throughput.

"Transshipment was the most affected, with a double-digit year-on-year decline, although exports were up 4.2% year-on-year.

"The North American region saw the biggest drop in overall freight volumes during the month."

On a rolling 12-month basis, Hong Kong's passenger traffic fell 57.6% to 1.4 million, while cargo traffic rose 10.8% to just over 5 million tonnes.

In January, the Hong Kong Airport Authority said that cargo throughput at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) in 2021 increased by 12.5% ​​year-on-year to 5 million tonnes, surpassing the 4.8 million tonnes recorded in 2019.

Meanwhile, quarantine measures imposed on Hong Kong cabin crew caused Cathay Pacific's cargo volumes to drop 31.8% in January from the same period in 2021 to 74,242 tonnes.