Hong Kong airport authority posts biggest fall in passenger number since 2009

The official data released by the Airport Authority of Hong Kong has recorded a fall in passenger numbers by over 16.2 per cent compared to a year earlier. The fall in passenger numbers at Hong Kong International Airport is the biggest in more than a decade. The official data released on Sunday showed a fall in passenger numbers in the month of November. 

Read: Hong Kong Protest: Five Teenagers Arrested By Police Over A Man's Death

In 2015, the Hong Kong International Airport handled 68.5 million passengers, making it the eighth busiest airport in the world. Hong Kong International Airport also boasts the world's busiest airport by cargo traffic. The airport is one of the biggest contributors to the region's economy as it employs over 65,000 people. According to the Civil Aviation website, the fall in passenger numbers is the largest since 2009, when the figure fell by 18.7 per cent. Data showed that the fall in passenger numbers was rapidly declining for the last three months. 

Read: Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam Visits Beijing To Discuss City's Unrest

Hong Kong protests led to fall in numbers 

Hong Kong is gripped by protests since June this year. The protests are led by pro-democracy groups in the semi-autonomous region of China. The protests started after China decided to bring a bill that would allow the Communist country to extradite prisoners from the region which was not allowed until then. China had to withdraw the controversial Fugitive Offenders amendment bill following violent protests by a group of students and other professionals. 

Read: New Chinese Video Game Lets Players Punch Hong Kong Protesters

The demands of the protestors have since been extended to the establishment of an independent commission to investigate police brutality during the protests, the release of arrested protestors and retraction of the "riot" characterisation of the protest. According to reports, more than 11 people have lost their lives in the protest so far. The international community has condemned China's action on the protestors and also compared the protests with the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests.

Read: Hong Kong Police Defuse Homemade Nail Bombs With High Explosives In School