HK airfreight bounces back after Mangkhut

HK airfreight bounces back after Mangkhut

Hong Kong has bounced back quickly after HK airfreight bounces back after Mangkhu slammed into the territory this past weekend, closing down the airport and stopping all plane and cargo movements.

“We are back to normal. We don’t have any disruption now,” an official with Hong Kong International airport told Air Cargo Week on Thursday morning.

Mangkhut lashed Hong Kong with torrential rains and winds of over 100 miles per hour, a combination that brought the normally hyper-bustling city to a halt. A major commerce centre the city is also a key air cargo hub but is now back to speed.

Mangkhut, which was a Typhoon 10, the highest and most severe type of typhoon, saw the airport closed and over 1,000 flights cancelled. The Airport Authority (AA) remedied this by having the facility’s two runways operate overnight on Monday and Tuesday to clear the backlog.

Support for this came from an industry source who reported a meeting on Wednesday between the airport and the airline had reported “no other issues” in the aftermath of the Mangkhut. “No major disruption was reported at the meeting ….. the situation is normal,” said the official who asked not to be named.

“I would like to thank the collaborative efforts of the airport community for the preparation of the typhoon over the past week, which we manage to handle the flights affected efficiently and resume normal operations within a short period of time. Airport staff maintained in their positions and performed duties under very challenging conditions, which has demonstrated the team spirit of the whole community,” says AA CEO Fred Lam.

Much of Hong Kong’s business involves the bringing in of high-end consumer goods and tech from South China as well as high-end imports and foods into Hong Kong.

 

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James Graham

James Graham is an award-winning transport media journalist with a long background in the commercial freight sector, including commercial aviation and the aviation supply chain. He was the initial Air Cargo Week journalist and retuned later for a stint as editor. He continues his association as editor of the monthly supplements. He has reported for the newspaper from global locations as well as the UK.

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