Airport Authority Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said across-the-board improvements in air traffic figures for the fourth quarter of last year showed business is returning, adding airlines have been increasing or restoring flight frequencies. He said he is confident the airport will emerge stronger and better, maintaining its status as the port of choice for both passengers and freight operators.
Overall there was a 7.7 per cent drop in cargo volumes to 3.35 million tonnes in 2009, year-on-year, with aircraft movements falling 7.2 per cent to 279,505 million while passenger traffic declined 5 per cent to 46.1 million passengers.
The fourth quarter of 2009 saw a 16.2 per cent year-on-year gain in cargo throughput, as an unexpected peak season surge rippled through Asian airports. In December alone, cargo throughput surged to 330,000 tonnes, up an astounding 35.5 per cent from a year earlier due to the recovery in exports from China to Western economies, as well as the need to replenish inventories in the US and European markets.
