HK Airport Records A 91 Percent Drop In Passengers

Hong Kong airport recorded a 91 percent year-on-year plunge in the number of passengers it handled last month.

The Airport Authority said there were only 576,000 passengers in March, when the figure was more than six million for the same month last year.

Flight movements last month also drastically decreased – by 67 percent – when compared to the same period a year ago.

The sharp decline in passenger traffic came as the Covid-19 pandemic brought the travel sector to a virtual halt with airlines suspending operations and countries across the word imposing travel restrictions.

But the authority said cargo throughput for last month was relatively unscathed. It showed a drop of only around 12 percent, compared to March 2019.

Meanwhile budget carrier Hong Kong Express announced that it will not run any flights until June 18, further extending a suspension in services due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

All of the airline's planes have been grounded since late last month.

But Hong Kong Airlines said it still plans to resume flights on June 19, and ticket sales for flights from that date are available.