Hong Kong airport passenger traffic up 8.4% in July, cargo declines

Hong Kong International Airport handled 5.62 million passengers in July, up 8.4% from the same month last year, the airport's operator said. Aircraft movements rose 1.7% to 34,230 for the month, a smaller increase than on the passenger side.

Transfer and transit traffic posted double-digit growth and accounted for most of the passenger gains. Traffic among Hong Kong residents and visiting travellers grew more modestly, according to the operator.

Cargo moved the other way, declining even as passenger numbers climbed. The reporting reviewed did not break the figures down further, so the size of the cargo drop and the specific routes or airlines behind the passenger gains were not detailed. No explanation for the cargo decline was given.

The airport has been working to rebuild traffic after years of disruption, and the July numbers suggest transfer and transit passengers are taking on a bigger part in that recovery. Route-level performance and the carriers driving the transfer growth were not specified.

The reporting also left out comparisons to pre-pandemic traffic levels and full first-half totals.