Ready for take-off: Passenger throughput in September reached 3.5 million, up 6.8% from a year earlier due to strong growth in the transfer passenger sector.

Hong Kong International Airport handled 3.5 million passengers in September, up 6.8% from the same period last year. This was driven by strong growth in the transfer passenger sector.

Boosted by busy air traffic, aircraft movements grew 3% to 23,300 flights over the same month in 2005.

Despite considerable expansion of international air-freight capacity in Asia, cargo throughput at the airport continues to grow steadily, to 319,000 tonnes, representing a 5.1% increase on last September's figure.

Upbeat about passenger traffic growth, Airport Authority Airport Management Director Howard Eng expected the growth momentum in passenger throughput to continue for the rest of the year.

He noticed flights have carried more passengers, which partly explains the slower rise in aircraft movements.

During the past 12 months, passenger throughput rose 8.5% to 43.5 million while cargo throughput and aircraft movements recorded 6.2% and 8.8% year-on-year growth, to 3.5 million tonnes and 278,000 flights.

The passenger, cargo and aircraft traffic also saw a continual growth in the first three quarters of this year.