Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, handled a single-day record of 1,081 incoming and outbound flights this past Saturday, surpassing the previous record of 1,057 flight movements, aviation authorities said on Monday.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong (CAD) said the airport handled 1,081 incoming and outbound flights on Saturday, setting a new daily record. The previous single-day record of 1,057 flight movements was set on January 20, followed by 1,041 flight movements on January 21 and 1,003 flight movements in April 2011.
“The Civil Aviation Department is encouraged by this new movement record and its smooth air traffic operation,” a CAD spokesman said on Monday. “As usual, the CAD’s Air Traffic Management Division has deployed additional staff to cater for the seasonal demand. We are always committed to ensuring safe and efficient air traffic service to the travelling public.”
The increase in flight movements was attributed to the increased demand during the Christmas holidays. Most of the extra flights operated by airlines were to destinations in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, and the most popular destinations were the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, the South Korean capital of Seoul and the Philippine capital of Manila.
So far this year, according to official figures, Hong Kong International Airport handled a total of 351,336 aircraft movements with a daily average of 957 movements. The figures represent an increase of 5.3 percent from the 333,758 aircraft movements handled at Hong Kong International Airport in 2011.
For comparison, the world’s busiest airport in 2011, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, handled an average of 2,531 movements daily.
