Hong Kong International Airport handled 68.5 million passengers and 406,020 flight movements in 2015, up 8.1% and 3.8% respectively y-o-y. Cargo throughput also went up 0.1% y-o-y for a record 4.38 million tons.

Hong Kong Airport Authority’s CEO Fred Lam Tin-fuk said: “During the past year, HKIA also set new records in daily passenger volume and aircraft movements, reaching around 228,000 passengers and over 1,200 flight movements. During the year, the airport also welcomed six airlines, namely Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Pacific, Scandinavian Airlines, Myanmar National Airlines, Etihad Airways and Sky Lease Cargo, which extended our flight network to 190 destinations around the world.”

Hong Kong Airport’s passenger transportation volume grew in December 2015, boosted by an 11% increase in outbound travel by Hong Kong residents, and passenger traffic to and from Japan and China increased most significantly. Cargo throughput in December was boosted by a 2% y-o-y increase in export.

Mr. Lam expects that Hong Kong Airport will see 4% to 6% growth in passenger volume in 2016, while weak global economy will lead to lackluster growth in cargo volume. He also anticipates flight movements to reach the airport’s capacity of 420,000, which will present huge challenges for operations.

"While the Midfield Concourse commenced operation at the end of 2015, expanding the airport into a Three-runway System (3RS) is the only option for us to meet long-term air traffic demand. We will continue the preliminary work of the 3RS project, aiming to commence construction works this year,” Mr Lam said.(Translation by David)