Hong Kong reported a double-digit decline in airport passenger volume for November 2019 year-on-year, while Singapore experienced passenger growth; however, both air hubs saw decreases in cargo throughput compared to the same month a year ago.
During the month, HKIA handled 5 million passengers, representing a year-on-year decrease of 16.2%, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) said. Cargo throughput fell 3.4% year-on-year to 450,000 tonnes.
During November, transfer/transit traffic in Hong Kong showed strong year-on-year growth of 6% while Hong Kong resident travel increased 5%.
“Passenger volume continued to be affected by weak visitor traffic, with passengers to and from China and Southeast Asia experiencing the most significant decreases,” said AA.
While overall cargo exports recorded a 1% decline year-on-year, cargo exported to Japan and Europe saw positive growths among key trading regions.
Over the first 11 months of the year, HKIA handled 65.8 million passengers, representing a year-on-year decrease of 3.4%. Cargo throughput fell 6.6% to 4.4 million tonnes compared to the same period last year.
On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume saw a decline of 3% to 72.4 million. Cargo throughout dropped to 4.8 million, a 6.4% decrease compared to the same period last year.
On the other hand, Singapore Changi Airport handled 5.72 million passenger movements in November 2019, an increase of 5.7% compared to the same period last year. Airfreight throughput declined 6.1% to 178,000 tonnes for the month.
All regions recorded passenger growth. Among Changi Airport’s top 10 markets, China, Japan and Vietnam traffic led the gainers with double-digit growth. Among the top 10 city routes, Denpasar (Bali) was the fastest growing, with Ho Chi Minh, Taipei and Tokyo registering traffic growth of more than 6%.
In the first 11 months of 2019, Changi Airport handled 61.9 million passengers as compared to 59.5 million over the same period in 2018. Cargo throughput from January to November 2019 totaled 1.84 million tonnes, down from 1.97 million tonnes the preceding year.
Photo courtesy of Singapore Changi Airport
