Travellers avoiding Hong Kong in record numbers as airport posts nearly 1 million drop in passengers for November
- Hong Kong International Airport reports worst drop in more than a decade as it handles 969,000 fewer passengers
- But number of people transiting through the city or starting their journey experiences marginal growth
Hong Kong International Airport lost close to 1 million passengers in November, the steepest numerical drop in any single month since violent anti-government protests began in the city, official figures released on Sunday showed.
In the worst drop in more than a decade, the airport handled 5.02 million passengers, some 969,000 fewer in November, a drop of 16.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2018.
The Airport Authority, which runs one of Asia’s premier air transit and cargo hubs, attributed the sharp fall to a drop in arrivals, in contrast, the number of passengers transiting and departing experienced marginal growth.
“Passenger volume continued to be affected by weak visitor traffic, with passengers to and from the mainland and Southeast Asia experiencing the most significant decreases,” the authority said in a statement.
Between August and November, the airport handled 3.3 million fewer passengers. October saw a drop of 802,000 travellers, September was down 710,000, and August fell 851,000. The drops equates to a reduction of 12-13 per cent.