This picture taken on Dec 23, 2022 shows people waiting in the arrivals hall of Hong Kong International Airport. (PHOTO / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong International Airport handled 3.1 million passengers in May, marking a year-on-year surge of over 17 times, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said Wednesday.

In a statement, the AAHK said flight movements also saw an increase of 113 percent to 22,200 from the low base last year as travel rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the first five months of the year, the airport handled 13.2 million passengers and 96,410 flight movements, marking an increase of over 23 times and 89 percent respectively, from the low base in the same period in 2022, the AAHK said

Over the first five months of the year, the airport handled 13.2 million passengers and 96,410 flight movements, marking an increase of over 23 times and 89 percent respectively, from the low base in the same period in 2022, the AAHK said.  

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume at HKIA increased year-on-year by more than 10 times to 18.3 million, while flight movements rose by 27.9 percent to 184,170, it added.

On the other hand, cargo throughput in May dropped 4.0 percent to 350,000 tonnes compared to the same month last year as cargo volume continued to be affected by global economic uncertainties.

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Overall cargo volume declined in May, with imports decreasing by 30 percent compared to the same month last year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Taiwan region, and Japan saw the most significant decreases during the month, the AAHK said.

Cargo volume declined year-on-year by 6.1 percent to 1.6 million tonnes over the first five months of the year while cargo throughput saw a decrease of 16.0 percent to 4.1 million tonnes on a 12-month rolling basis, it added.

Meanwhile, HKIA has won the Gold Award in the “Over 35 million passengers per annum” category of the Green Airports Recognition 2023. Established by Airports Council International Asia-Pacific, the program recognizes airports with outstanding accomplishments in sustainability projects.

“We are honored to receive this recognition, which reflects our dedication and commitment to developing HKIA into the world’s greenest airport,” said Peter Lee, General Manager, Sustainability of AAHK.

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“We will continue to work closely with the airport community to minimize our environmental footprint, strengthen waste management initiatives and expand the scale of our recycling efforts,” he added.