Travelers check out the flight schedule at the Hong Kong International Airport on Oct 18, 2023. (GARY CHIU / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong International Airport handled 3.8 million passengers in November, increasing 2.6 times year-on-year, according to the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK).

The AAHK said in a statement that flight movements rose 104 percent to 27,855 compared to the same period last year, while cargo throughput also maintained its strong growth momentum by increasing 17.8 percent to 417,000 tonnes, with a 31.8 percent increase in exports.

On a 12-month rolling basis, the airport's passenger volume registered an eight-fold year-on-year increase to 36.8 million while flight movements rose by 90.6 percent to 262,015

The AAHK said all passenger segments experienced strong growth compared with November 2022 as passenger traffic continued its steady recovery. Passenger traffic to and from Southeast Asia, the Chinese mainland and Japan recorded the largest increases.

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Over the first 11 months of the year, passenger volume surged to 35 million, an approximately eight-fold increase year-on-year, while flight movements doubled to 246,240. Cargo volume increased slightly by 1.7 percent to 3.9 million compared to the same period last year.

On a 12-month rolling basis, the airport's passenger volume registered an eight-fold year-on-year increase to 36.8 million while flight movements rose by 90.6 percent to 262,015. Cargo throughput saw 1.4 percent decrease to 4.3 million tonnes.

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Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po earlier said that passenger traffic at the HKIA is expected to return to 80 percent of the pre-pandemic level this year and fully recover in 2024.