Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) continues to maintain its position as the world’s busiest cargo airport with growth of 1.5% in 2018.

Having broken the five million tonne barrier in 2017, HKIA handled 5.1 million tonnes in 2018 with imports up 3.1% to 1.8 million tonnes and exports increased by 0.6% to 3.3 million tonnes.

Flight movements and passenger numbers were also up, with Fred Lam, CEO of Airport Authority Hong Kong saying: “It’s gratifying to see HKIA scale new heights in 2018 on all three air traffic categories, attesting to the dedication, resilience and contribution of our 73,000 airport community members. We are also honoured to be awarded with a number of recognitions during the year, solidifying HKIA’s leading position as a regional and international aviation hub.”

Cargo throughput fell 5.2% in December to 448,000 tonnes with unloaded cargo down 4.5% to 155,000 tonnes and loaded down by 5.5% to 292,000 tonnes.

HKIA says imports and exports dropped 7% in December, resulting in the lower cargo throughput with traffic to key trading regions such as Europe and Southeast Asia decreasing most significantly.