HKIA cargo volume rises 7.3% in April
Cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) grew to 320,000 metric tons in April, a 7.3% year-on-year increase.
Passenger traffic increased 0.4% from April 2007, to 4.1 million. The small increase was the result of the Easter holiday falling in March this year, compared to April last year. Air traffic movements increased 2.6% to 25,060.
“April saw a significant increase in cargo transhipments, particularly to and from North America and the Chinese Mainland,” Airport Authority Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said. “Imports and exports to the Asia Pacific region, as well as exports to Europe … also recorded healthy growth.
“We continue to watch global markets closely,” he noted. “In spite of an uncertain economic outlook, our view for the months ahead is cautiously optimistic.”
For the four months that ended April 30, passenger volume rose 7.8% from the corresponding period in 2007, to 16.2 million, while cargo traffic grew 8.1% to 1.2 million metric tons. Air traffic movements increased 5.3% to 99,320.
For the 12 months that ended April 30, HKIA handled 49 million passengers and 3.8 million metric tons of cargo, and recorded 300,305 air traffic movements. These represent increases of 7.9%, 7.1% and 5.8%, respectively, from year-earlier figures.
Airport Authority appoints chairman, others
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government recently announced the appointments of a new chairman and two new members to the Airport Authority. Ten current members also were re-appointed.
The new chairman is Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, an authority member since June 2003. The two new members are Raymond Ho Chung-tai and Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng, executive director and chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong). The term of their appointments is from June 1 to May 31, 2011.
Lo Ka-shui and He Guangbei, who have been members for five years, were re-appointed until May 31, 2010; Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, Andrew Liao Cheung-sing, Vincent Fang Kang, Wilfred Wong Ying-wai and Edmund Leung Kwong-ho, Transport and Housing secretary, Financial Services and the Treasury secretary and director-general of Civil Aviation, were re-appointed as authority members until May 31, 2011.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said he is grateful for retiring Chairman Victor Fung Kwok-king’s inspiring leadership over the past nine years.
“Dr. Fung has been the driving force behind strategic initiatives to extend the catchment area of the Hong Kong International Airport into the Pearl River Delta region and build strategic alliances with Mainland airports. He has been instrumental in developing the airport into one of our most important assets,” Mr. Tsang said.
Greater convenience for ABTC holders
As of June 1, holders of the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) can use the special service lanes at select control points of participating economies for entry and exit clearance regardless of whether pre-clearance has been granted.
An Immigration Department spokesman said the ABTC program aims to enhance the mobility of business travelers among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies, thus promoting business within the region.
Eighteen APEC economies currently are participating in the program: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Taibei (Taiwan), Thailand and Vietnam.
In Hong Kong, applications for an ABTC are available to people holding permanent identity cards and valid national passports. Applicants must be bona fide businesspeople and have no criminal record, and they must not have been refused entry to any participating economy. Applicants also need to travel frequently on short-term business visits to the APEC economies.
The ABTC is the size of a credit card. It is normally valid for three years. The card is good for multiple visits of two to three months to participating economies without the need for a visa if pre-clearance has been granted.
Previously, holders of an ABTC needed pre-clearance from the participating economies to enjoy the special service lanes and streamlined immigration clearance at the control points.
As of June 1, cardholders now can use the special service lanes at selected control points of participating economies, regardless of whether pre-clearance has been granted. For cardholders traveling to a participating economy where pre-clearance has not been granted, they are still subject to the usual immigration clearance process, such as presenting valid passports and where applicable, valid visas. The only exceptions are Taibei and Japan, which will announce implementation of the program at later dates.
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