HKIA achieves record-breaking performance in 2018
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) recorded continuous traffic growth in 2018, with all three air traffic categories reaching new annual heights. During the year, HKIA handled 74.7 million passengers and 427,725 flight movements, representing yearly increases of 2.5% and 1.7% respectively. The total cargo throughput also increased by 1.5% year on year to 5.1 million tonnes.
Fred Lam, Chief Executive Officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), said, “It’s gratifying to see HKIA scale new heights in 2018 on all three air traffic categories, attesting to the dedication, resilience and contribution of our 73,000 airport community members. We are also honored to be awarded with a number of recognitions during the year, solidifying HKIA’s leading position as a regional and international aviation hub.”
In 2018, HKIA was recognised as the “Airport of the Year 2018” by Air Transport World and “Best Global Airport” at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards by Asia Cargo News. HKIA was also inducted into the Travel Hall of Fame at TTG Travel Awards 2018.
In December 2018, flight movements and passenger volume experienced steady growth. Flight movements reached 37,085, registering a 1.2% year-on-year increase. Passenger volume during the month rose 1.7% yearly to reach 6.53 million, while cargo throughput slightly decreased 5.2% over December 2017 to 448,000 tonnes.
Passenger growth in December was mainly driven by 3% growth in visitor traffic. During the month, Hong Kong resident travel also experienced 2% growth. Overall passenger traffic to / from Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe recorded the most significant increases.
Amid the uncertain global economic situations, both imports and exports dropped by 7% last month, resulting the decrease in overall cargo throughput. Amongst the key trading regions, traffic to / from Europe and Southeast Asia decreased most significantly in the month.
“Looking forward, several capacity enhancement projects will commence to cater for the surging demand. The Terminal 1 Annex Building will commence operation in 2019. After the commissioning, there will be over 40 new check-in counters with self-bag drop facilities and two additional baggage reclaim carousels. The project will also provide more seats, shops and catering outlets in the expanded Arrivals Hall. Meanwhile, to keep pace with ever-changing traveller dynamics and technological innovations, we will continue to launch new initiatives and passenger-focused features to provide a vibrant, world-class experience for travellers,” concluded Mr Lam.