Cargo volumes at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) dropped further in March as the flight disruptions caused by the coronavirus continues to impact volumes. 

The HK Airport Authority said in a statement that cargo throughput dropped by 12.4% to 378,000 tonnes last month compared to March 2019 — the decline mainly attributed to a 42% decrease in transshipments, although exports were stable and imports grew slightly by 1% year-on-year.

The cargo traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Europe decreased most significantly in March, according to the Airport Authority.

Over the first quarter the year, cargo throughput fell 10.9% to 988,000 tonnes compared to the same period last year.

On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo throughput decreased by 7.3% to 4.7 million tonnes.

“The whole airport community is encountering unprecedented hardship amid the COVID-19 pandemic ...,” said Vivian Cheung, executive director, Airport Operations of the AA, said.