After a record April, passenger volume at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) in May continued to rise by 12.1% to 5.8m, while numbers also increased by 9.5% in the first five months to 27.9m.

 

Passenger growth in May was largely thanks to 18% year-on-year growth in both transfer and transit traffic, plus Hong Kong resident traffic, while passenger volumes between south-east Asia and north Asia recorded the most significant increases.

 

On a rolling 12-month basis, HKIA handled 65.8m passengers and some 398,380 aircraft movements, with both figures increasing year-on-year by 6.9% and 4.5%, respectively. Cargo tonnage increased by 4.1% to 4.4m tonnes over the same period.

 

 

TACKLING ‘HEALTH RISKS’

Vivian Cheung, Deputy Director, Airport Operations of Airport Authority Hong Kong commented: “To tackle the health risks arising from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea, HKIA has implemented a series of contingency measures to facilitate centralised temperature checking by the Port Health Office.

 

“All arriving passenger flights from South Korea will be directed to designated parking stands and passengers will go through temperature screening immediately upon entering the terminal.”

 

Cheung added: “We have stepped up cleaning work at the Southwest Concourse, South Apron Passenger Vehicle entry gate and the air bridges. Announcements regarding prevention of infectious diseases are being made at the terminals and through flight information display systems.

 

“To keep the airport community abreast of the latest developments in infectious diseases, we have arranged briefing sessions and distributed guidelines in conjunction with the Port Health Office,” she added.