A recovery in air traffic at Hong Kong International Airport has been forecast for this year amid signs of improvement in the global economy and continued strong growth on the Mainland.

Airport Authority Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said today across-the-board improvements in air traffic figures for the fourth quarter of last year showed business is returning, adding airlines have been increasing or restoring flight frequencies.

He said he is confident the airport will emerge stronger and better, maintaining its status as the port of choice for global travellers and freight operators.

The airport saw a 5% dip in passenger traffic to 46.1 million last year, while cargo volume and aircraft movements fell 7.7% to 3.35 million and 7.2% to 279,505.

However, the last quarter saw a 16.2% year-on-year gain in cargo throughput, narrowing the decline for the full year. Passenger traffic dropped 0.2% while aircraft movements showed a similar trend with a 5.1% fall.

In December cargo throughput surged to 330,000 tonnes, up 35.5% from a year earlier due to the recovery in foreign trade between the Mainland and Western economies, as well as the need to replenish inventories in the US and European markets.

The month saw passenger traffic rise 3.4% to 4.18 million, which was mainly attributable to the 16% year-on-year growth in travel by Hong Kong residents. Visitor numbers grew 4% while transfer and transit passengers fell 6%. The number of air traffic movements reached 24,225, down 2.1%.