Mike King | Sep 19, 2011 9:38AM EDT
Weak demand from Europe and the U.S. in August pulled Hong Kong International Airport’s traffic down 7.8 percent from the same month last year, the sixth consecutive month of decline.
Freight volume also fell 3.5 percent from July to August and the 319,000 metric tons was the lowest level since February, a troubling sign for the Asia gateway heading toward the peak fall shipping season.
Overall flight movements hit a high of 28,940, up 6.7 percent year-over-year during the month, but freighter operations fell 6.4 percent from a year ago and fell 3.5 percent from July.
Exports in August fell 11 percent year-over-year at the world’s largest cargo airport, while imports and transshipments fell 5 percent and 1 percent, respectively.
Cargo traffic to and from Europe, North America, Taiwan and Japan had double-digit year-over-year decreases via HKIA during August. The 2.6 million metric tons handled at the airport so far this year is 3.6 percent lower than the same period in 2010.
The decline in HKIA’s cargo fortunes was even more pronounced at the airport’s leading cargo handler, Hong Kong International Airport Air Cargo Terminals.
HACTL said exports fell 13.3 percent year-over-year to 117,771 metric tons in August. The airport operator handled a total of 221,375 metric tons in August, down 9.3 percent compared to August 2010.
The airpor't total handling from January to August fell 5.6 percent year-over-year to 1,785,140 metric tons. Export volume in the same period totaled 940,067 metric tons, down 8.6 percent year-over-year.
-- Contact Mike King at michael@borderline.eu.com