Some 292,000 tonnes of cargo were handled at the Hong Kong International Airport in March, 8.2% more than in March 2004. According to the Airport Authority, growth was driven by continuous demand from the US, Europe and Mainland China. In the 12-month period from April 2004-March 2005, a total of 3.2mn tonnes of cargo went through the HKIA’s cargo handling terminals, at a 15.3% rate of increase.

Meanwhile, a new record of 786 flight movements for a single day was set by the Hong Kong airport on March 25, the first day of the Easter holiday. Based on the outlook for summer, air traffic movement is expected to grow healthily reflecting positive view of the market from airlines. The strong growth was mainly driven by leisure travel by local residents during the Easter holiday, which fell in March this year instead of April for other years.