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Hong Kong: A Tale Of Two Cargo Ports

 

Hong Kong’s port and airport has long been a gateway to China for British traders and the west, but while one continues to lead the way, the other has fallen down the pecking order.

Hong Kong International remains the world’s busiest cargo airport and recently celebrated the launch of its much-awaited three-runway system and new airport centre, which will further increase the airport’s cargo handling capacity. 

In 2023 Hong Kong moved 4.3m kgs of air cargo, yet the three-runway system has increased capacity to 10m tonnes per year. The project included the expansion of its Terminal 2, reconfiguration of the centre runway and installation of new infrastructure and systems. 

There has already been additional flights committed to the airport, which should cement its place at the top for the foreseeable future.

However, it’s a different story for the country’s sea port, which has fallen down the pecking order since the UK’s lease of the country expired in 1997 and China focused heavily on its mainland ports.

Hong Kong port was the world’s busiest for 15 of the 18 years between 1987 and 2004, but slipped out of the top ten in 2023. The port only ranks seventh in China now after falling behind Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Qingdao and Tianjin. Furthermore, Shanghai now handles more than 3 times the container traffic of Hong Kong these days.

Hong Kong has long been central to carrier sailing schedules, but at least once alliance has excluded it as a port of call from its 2025 Asia-US West Coast services for the first time.

So, while it’s international airport continues to thrive, Hong Kong’s status as one of the world’s biggest gateways could become a distant memory.

 

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