Cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport rose 16.4% to 344,000 tonnes in November, with export and import cargo growing 23% and 21%, compared with that of November last year, the Airport Authority said today.

Passenger volume and aircraft movements reached 3.8 million and 23,515 respectively during the month, representing year-on-year declines of 0.4% and 5.2%.

The mild drop in passenger throughput was mainly due to the 21% year-on-year rise in Hong Kong resident traffic. Visitor traffic also improved to a slight decline of around 1%, but transfer and transit traffic registered a 12% decrease in the same period, which is mainly a reflection of more and more Taiwanese passengers taking scheduled direct flights when travelling across the Taiwan Strait.

Transshipments also saw a 6% contraction, with traffic to and from Europe, Taiwan and Australasia recording double-digit declines. Tight cargo capacity out of Hong Kong has made low-yield transshipments via Hong Kong a lower priority for airlines.

The authority's Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said while the 16.4% growth in cargo tonnage is encouraging compared to the 1.3% year-on-year increase seen in October, the smaller decreases in passenger traffic and aircraft movements also indicate progress.

"Stronger demand for air travel and better market sentiment are driving airlines to reinstate their previously suspended capacity and routes. We have also seen new airlines launching new services and routes to Hong Kong," he said.

The airport handled 42 million passenger trips and 3 million tonnes of cargo during the first 11 months of the year, down 5.8% and 10.8% respectively from the same period last year. Air traffic movements dropped 7.6% over the same period, to 255,280.