Hong Kong International Airport reported double-digit cargo growth in July, on the back of strong imports and exports, as passenger traffic slid slightly below pre-pandemic levels.

Cargo throughput at HKIA in July grew 12.4 percent to 419,000 tonnes compared to the same month last tear. In June, cargo volume reached 399,000 tonnes, up 11.5 percent year on year.

“Transshipments recorded strong growth of 21 percents. Both imports and exports also experienced double-digit growth. Cargo to and from Southeast Asia experienced the most significant increase during the month,” the airport noted.

Also read: Hong Kong cargo traffic sees double-digit growth in June

Cissy Chan, executive director, commercial of the AA, said, “strong growth in exports of air cargo last month is a clear indication that the new screening measures have been implemented smoothly—strengthening the security of export air cargoes while maintaining high operational efficiency at HKIA. We believe that the enhanced air cargo security reinforces HKIA’s status as the world’s leading cargo hub.”

The release stated during the month, Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has successfully implemented 100 percent security screening for export air cargo, meeting ICAO’s policy direction towards enhancing global air cargo security as scheduled.

The AA said it worked closely with CAD in the introduction of regulated air cargo screening facility (RACSF) scheme to increase cargo screening capacity at off-airport locations. It also collaborated with air cargo terminals and other stakeholders to facilitate industry preparations for complying with the new requirements, the group noted.

Over the first seven months of the year, cargo handled through the airport rose 12.0 percent over the same period last year at 2.7 million tonnes. On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo throughput is up up 4.6 percent to 4.8 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, HKIA saw 97.4% and 52.1% drops in passengers and flight movements, to 925,000 and 131,310, respectively. Cargo throughput saw an increase of 4.6% to 4.8 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, on the passenger side, volume during the month of July showed a ‘slight improvement’ by reaching around 3,500 passengers daily, which the gateway attributed to a significant increase of passengers heading to and from China.

The airport noted that passenger traffic only accounted less than 2 percent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019.