Passenger traffic, cargo throughput and aircraft movements at the Hong Kong International Airport all experienced healthy growth in September, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said Sunday.

Driven by the strong growth in the transfer passenger sector, total passenger throughput in September reached 3.5 million, up 6. 8 percent from the same period last year, according to figures released by AAHK.

Boosted by the busy air traffic, aircraft movements grew 3 percent to 23,300 over the same month in 2005.

Despite considerable expansion of international air-freight capacity in Asia, cargo throughput at the airport continued to grow steadily to 319,000 tons, representing a 5.1 percent increase on last September's figure.

"We expect the growth momentum in passenger throughput to continue for the remainder of this year due to projected growth in visitor traffic and transfer passengers," said AAHK Airport Management Director Howard Eng.

During the past 12 months, passenger throughput of the airport rose 8.5 percent to 43.5 million. Cargo throughput and aircraft movements recorded 6.2 percent and 8.8 percent year-on-year growth to 3.5 million tons and 278,000, respectively.

Moreover, monthly figures in passenger, cargo and aircraft traffic saw a continual growth in the first three quarters of this year, according to AAHK.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2006)