HONG KONG, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport reached 3,509,000 in August, setting a new record for the airport, the Airport Authority said Sunday.
The passenger count displayed a 16.3 percent rise compared with August of 2003, reported Xinhua, China's main government-run news agency. Over 35.5 million passengers passed through HKIA over the past 12 months, up nearly 30 percent from the corresponding period last year.
According to the authority, August's cargo throughput rose to 257,000 tons, representing a 17.3 percent increase compared with the same month last year. Cargo throughput for the last 12 months rose to 2,963,000 tons, showing a 15.5 percent increase against the corresponding period for the previous year.
Loaded cargo (export) grew 22.3 percent to 164,000 tons, mainly as a result of high demand in North American, European and the Chinese mainland markets.
August's aircraft movements rose by 21.5 percent to 20,560. There were 228,330 aircraft movements recorded for the past 12 months, representing a 22.3 percent increase against the same period last year.
