Hong Kong International Airport posts biggest monthly drop in travellers since 2009, with 851,000 fewer passengers in August amid anti-government protest crisis
- Airport handled 5.99 million passengers in August, a drop of 12.4 per cent compared to same month last year
- Decline was biggest drop since June 2009, which posted a fall of 18.9 per cent
Hong Kong International Airport suffered its biggest monthly drop in passengers in a decade, with a decline of 12.4 per cent – or at least 850,000 fewer travellers – in August as anti-government protests gripped the city, according to figures released on Sunday.
The Airport Authority said the steep drop in passengers came largely from China, Southeast Asia and Taiwan, all of which posted “significant declines”. Hong Kong reported a 40 per cent decrease in tourist arrivals in August.
The airport said it handled 5.99 million passengers in August, a drop of 851,000 travellers compared to the same month last year. The decline was the single biggest drop since June 2009, which posted a fall of 18.9 per cent.
In the past few months, there have been huge challenges to airport operations at times
“In the past few months, there have been huge challenges to airport operations at times,” said Ng Chi-kee, executive director of airport operations, in a press statement released on Sunday.
Cargo volumes also fell 11.5 per cent as global trade tensions and a weak global economic environment continued.
