Hong Kong International Airport, Asia's third-busiest airfield, handled four million passengers last month, a six percent increase from April 2006, the government-owned operator said yesterday.

 

The airport set a record with more than 890 flight movements on April 5, as people traveled for the Easter holidays and the Tomb Sweeping Day, Airport Authority Hong Kong said.

 

The airport handled 299,000 tons of cargo in April, up 1.4 percent from April 2006. Aircraft landings and take-offs increased 3.9 percent to 24,460 movements, Bloomberg News said.

 

Airport Authority Hong Kong will spend HK$4.5 billion (US$575 million) by 2010 to add parking stands and other facilities at the airfield, it said in January last year.

 

Projects under development include a golf course, which is scheduled to open in the first half of this year, a cross-border ferry terminal and a second airport hotel, both of which are expected to open next year, the airport operator said in January.

 

(Shanghai Daily May 14, 2007)