About 940 additional flights have been scheduled over the Chinese lunar new year holiday period from Jan. 17 to Feb. 2.

According to sources from the Hong Kong International Airport Authority (HKIA), the busiest day will be Jan. 22, which is the first day of the lunar new year of monkey, with request for 722 total flight slots, as against about 590 for an average day.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the airport, HKIA Chief Executive Officer David Pang said "the year ahead will see a recovery in the regional and local economy, and we are ready to capture the growth opportunities brought about by Chinese Mainland-Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and the closer integration of the Pearl River Delta Region."

He said though Hong Kong was hit by the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the first half last year, Hong Kong has been quick to recover from the impact of the epidemic. Passenger traffic at HKIA has surpassed pre-SARS level in December 2003, with 3 million passengers recorded in the month.

Cargo throughput was 249,000 tons, a remarkable increase of 15.8 percent compared with December last year. The growth was attributed mainly to the export boost to markets of the Chinese mainland, Europe and the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2004)