A new record of 786 flight movements at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for a single day was set on March 25, the first day of the Easter holiday.

Hong Kong Airport Authority said in a press release on Sunday that the number of passengers traveling through Hong Kong International Airport in March was 18 percent higher than the same period of 2004.

The strong growth was mainly driven by leisure travel by local residents during the Easter holiday, which fell in March this year instead of April for other years, said Heidi Kwan, Chief Communication Officer at HKIA.

Over the four-day Easter period, an average of 124,000 passengers used the airport each day, up 10 percent when compared with the corresponding period in 2004, she added.

Based on the outlook for summer, air traffic movement is expected to grow healthily reflecting positive view of the market from airlines, according to HKIA.

Air cargo has continued to demonstrate robust growth in the year 2004/05. Compared to 2003/04, air cargo tonnage has grown 15 percent. This growth was driven by continuous demand from the United States, Europe and Chinese mainland, HKIA said.