CHINA (HONG KONG). Airport Authority Hong Kong has announced continued heavy falls in passenger numbers and aircraft movements at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) in August, as COVID-19 continues to stifle growth.
During the month, HKIA handled 84,000 passengers and 10,000 flight movements, representing respective year-on-year decreases of -98.6% and -72.0%.
The airport authority said travel demand remains weak as a result of the continuation of Hong Kong’s entry restrictions for non-residents, as well as immigration restrictions and quarantine measures implemented in different countries and regions.
It added that passenger traffic in August decreased significantly in all categories, namely Hong Kong residents, visitors and transfer/transit passengers, compared to the corresponding month last year.
Over the first eight months of the year, HKIA handled 8.5 million passengers and 114,020 flight movements, representing respective -83.2% and -60.1% falls.
On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger throughput and flight movements registered -60.6% and -42.0% year-on-year drops on numbers of 29.5 million and 248,285, respectively.
Meanwhile, to facilitate the government’s quarantine procedures for arriving persons at HKIA, the Department of Health’s Temporary Specimen Collection Centre (TSCC) has been moved from AsiaWorld-Expo to the Midfield Concourse (MFC) in the airport’s restricted area.
Airport Authority Hong Kong Executive Director, Airport Operations Vivian Cheung said: “The TSCC has been operating smoothly at the Midfield Concourse since its relocation. To ensure safety and prevent the spread of infection at HKIA, we have been working with the Government to implement a series of measures to separate airport staff and arriving persons.
“The Airport Authority has also installed an additional disinfection channel dedicated for staff members working at the TSCC, further strengthening our efforts to maintain a safe environment at HKIA.”
