Travelers walk inside the departures hall as aircrafts operated by Cathay Pacific Airways are taxing at the Hong Kong International Airport on Feb 10, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled 16.5 million passengers in the first half of 2023, an increase of over 18 times from a low base during the same period in 2022, data from the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) showed Tuesday.

HKIA handled 3.3 million passengers in June, representing a 6.9 percent growth compared with the passenger throughput in May. Cargo throughput and flight movements saw month-on-month increases of 1.4 percent and 0.7 percent to 355,000 tonnes and 22,365, respectively.  

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Compared with the same month in 2022, passenger volume and flight movements increased over 10 times and doubled, respectively. All passenger segments experienced significant growth year on year, with traffic to and from Southeast Asia, the Chinese mainland and Japan recording the most significant increases.

Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations of AAHK, said passenger traffic at the airport has recovered to about 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and saw a peak of over 127,000 passengers on June 25, a record high since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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HKIA is working closely with airlines and other business partners to welcome more passengers during the summer travel season, and to reinforce the airport's status as an international aviation hub, Yiu said.