Hong Kong - The amount of cargo shipped through Hong Kong International Airport fell by 18.7 per cent year-on-year in November, officials announced Monday.

The airport handled 296,000 tons of cargo during the month and 3.8 million passengers, a 5.6 per-cent compared to November 2007.

The Hong Kong Airport Authority blamed the steep fall in cargo volume to the global slump and said the biggest declines had been in the North America market, followed by Europe.

Falling passenger numbers were attributed to a weaker tourism market and the one-week closing of Bangkok's main airport which led to the cancellation of 230 flights.

"We believe the market is not likely to rebound soon, and a continued decline in air traffic is expected in the coming months, reflecting the continued impact of economic slowdown in major economies worldwide," airport authority chief executive officer Stanley Hui said.

For the first 11 months of 2008, passenger volumes were up 2.4 per cent year-on-year, while cargo volume remained steady at 3.7 million tons. (dpa)