Fuelled by robust passenger traffic in January due to the Chinese New Year holidays, aircraft movements at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) surged 13.7% to 23,100, setting a record 853 movements on January 27, the Friday immediately before the start of the CNY holidays.
Air cargo continued its healthy growth, rising by 10.5% in January 2006 over January 2005, with 273,000 tonnes handled for the month. Year-on-year, some 3.4mn tonnes have been handled over a 12-month period to January 2006, with a growth rate of 9%.
According to the Commercial Director of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Hans Bakker, the average consumption of aviation fuel reached 14.7mn litres per day in 2005 - up 44% over the past seven years. He said that the demand for aviation fuel will increase by an estimated 7% at least this year. "It is crucial for us to have sufficient and timely supply of aviation fuel to sustain the growth of the airport and Hong Kong," said Bakker.