HKIA's flight movements up, cargo down
HKIA saw a rise in flight movements, but a huge decrease in cargo
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reported a 12.1 percent year-over-year increase in flight movements in April and an 8.5 percent boost in passenger trips, but cargo tonnage at the airport fell 6.5 percent year-over-year. HKIA only handled 330,000 tonnes of cargo in April.
Officials blame the cargo drop off on the shaky export market, which saw a year-over-year decline of 9.5 percent. Imports and transshipments both experienced a 3-percent decrease.
"The year-on-year decrease is mainly the result of a higher base from the same period last year," the Airport Authority Hong Kong's CEO, Stanley Hui Hon-chung, said in a statement. "The disruption to the logistics and supply chains of many industries caused by the earthquake in Japan in March also played a part in the decrease in tonnage. Despite the current slowdown, the industry is cautiously optimistic of the future of air cargo in the later part of the year, which is the usual peak time for air cargo."
In the macro view, cargo throughput is on the rise. According airport spokesmen, tonnage during the past 12 months has grown 12.8 percent when compared to the same time period in 2009.
