A C919 jetliner lands at the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, south China, June 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) on Monday announced that the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled about 4.92 million passengers, representing a 23 percent year-on-year growth, while cargo throughput was up 10.6 percent to 406,000 tons in August.

In August 2024, daily passenger traffic exceeded 170,000 on peak days. On Aug. 18, the HKIA handled 174,600 passengers, reaching another post-pandemic high. All passenger segments, including Hong Kong residents and visitors and transfer/transit passengers, saw significant growth compared to the same month last year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, the Chinese mainland, and Japan recorded the most significant monthly increases.

Export traffic remained the main growth driver, increasing by 14.6 percent compared to the same month last year. Among key trading regions, cargo traffic to and from key trading regions in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East increased most significantly in the month.

The two new passenger airlines, Indonesia AirAsia and Thai Lion Air, will start operating new routes connecting Indonesia and Thailand respectively in October. In addition, two new destinations for passengers, Koror in Palau and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia will be added in August and October respectively, to further expand HKIA's extensive air network, according to the AAHK.