In this March 10, 2020 photo, a man and his dog sit near the check-in counters at Hong Kong International Airport amid a novel coronavirus outbreak, which had been declared a pandemic. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG – Both passenger and cargo volume of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) dropped sharply in January and February, data showed Sunday.

The HKIA handled 7.6 million passengers and 51,215 flight movements for the first two months this year, down 38.5 percent and 25.7 percent respectively from a year ago, the Airport Authority (AA) Hong Kong said in a statement. 

The airport handled 7.6 million passengers and 51,215 flight movements for the first two months this year, down 38.5% and 25.7% respectively from a year ago

Cargo throughput fell 9.8 percent to 611,000 tonnes compared to the same period last year.

In February, the airport handled 1.9 million passengers and 18,005 flight movements, representing year-on-year decreases of 68 percent and 44.5 percent, respectively. Cargo throughput dropped 8.9 percent to 251,000 tonnes, compared to February in 2019.

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The declines in passenger traffic were mainly attributable to a 63 percent year-on-year drop in visitor traffic in January and February this year as those to and from the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asia recorded the most significant decreases during the period.

The statement said that passenger traffic was particularly impacted in February due to weak travelling demand amid the outbreak of COVID-19, in addition to immigration restrictions and quarantine measures implemented by authorities in different countries and regions.

"It is expected to see continued drop in traffic figures in March as airlines have suspended more flights, and authorities in different markets continue to implement immigration restrictions and quarantine measures," reads the statement.

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Over last 12 months, passenger volume and flight movements dropped 11.1 percent and 6.2 percent to 66.8 million and 402,030. Cargo throughput declined by 6.2 percent to 4.7 million tonnes.