TRANSPORT
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Civil Aviation
Hong Kong is a major international and regional aviation centre. The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is one of the busiest airports in the world. At the end of 2003, 71 scheduled airlines were serving Hong Kong. These airlines together operated about 4 155 scheduled flights weekly between Hong Kong and some 130 cities world-wide. In addition, an average of about 79 non-scheduled flights was operated to and from the HKIA each week.
Air Traffic in 2003
The outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong in March and the subsequent issue of travel advisory notices against non-essential travel to affected areas, including Hong Kong, by the World Health Organisation (WHO) had a significant deterrent effect on air travel. Although passenger traffic and flight frequency had fully recovered to pre- SARS levels by year-end, the total of 27.43 million passengers (including 0.68 million in transit) that passed through the airport in 2003 represented a sharp decrease of 20.1 per cent from 2002. Aircraft movements also fell markedly by 9.43 per cent to a total of 187 508.
Despite the drop in passenger throughput and aircraft movements, the year saw continued growth in air cargo throughput at the HKIA. The airport handled a record- breaking 2.64 million tonnes of air cargo, representing a growth of 6.6 per cent from 2002. The corresponding value also increased by 18.1 per cent to $1,074.47 billion. The growth in air cargo was mainly attributed to a surge in exports to Europe and to other Asian cities.
Air transport continues to play an important role in Hong Kong's external trade. Goods carried by air accounted for about 34.5 per cent, 27.7 per cent and 25.8 per cent, in value terms, of Hong Kong's total imports, exports and re-exports respectively in 2003.
Airport Operations and Development
At the peak of the SARS outbreak, passenger throughput at the HKIA fell by as much as 80 per cent, although air cargo volume continued to grow satisfactorily. The swift implementation of effective SARS preventive measures at the HKIA, including the implementation of body temperature checks for all passengers and staff entering the airport restricted area, helped rebuild confidence in air travel. The incentive and revitalisation packages introduced by the Airport Authority (AA) in April and May also helped alleviate the difficulties faced by the aviation industry and facilitate a quick recovery in air traffic. By December, the passenger throughput at the HKIA had rebounded to the pre-SARS level.
Despite the temporary setback, the HKIA continued to win accolades for Hong Kong. The HKIA was voted ‘Airport of the Year' in 2003 for the third time in a row by Skytrax Research of the United Kingdom. It was also named the 'Cargo Airport of the Year' for the second consecutive year by Air Cargo News.
With a view to expanding the catchment area of the HKIA, much progress has been made to further improve its transport connectivity with the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. With the opening in 2003 of a new Airport-Mainland Coach Station as well as an airport ferry terminal named as SkyPier, the HKIA has been transformed into a fully multi-modal transportation hub integrating air, sea and land transport.