Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled 2.1 million tonnes of cargo for the first half of 2015, up 0.6 per cent from the same period last year. Throughput for the first half of the year was affected by a drop in exports but is expected to consolidate for the rest of the year, the Hong Kong Airport Authority said.

On a rolling 12-month basis, the airport handled 4.4 million tonnes of cargo, up 3.2 per cent from the previous 12 months.   The airport handled 349,000 tonnes of cargo from 4,380 cargo flights in June alone, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5 per cent and 2.9 per cent, respectively. The decline was primarily caused by a five per cent year-on-year drop in transhipments and a four per cent decrease in exports. Imports were up one per cent year-on-year.

Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China and Europe also underperformed in the month of June, with traffic suppressed by the weak Eurozone economy and a decrease in Asia Pacific imports and exports, according to the airport.