SARS caused a 68.9% decline in passenger traffic at HK International Airport last month.

Passenger throughput for April was 909,000, and passenger flights were down 33.6%.

The Airport Authority said the decline in passengers and flights accelerated fast after the warning issued by the World Health Organisation in early April for passengers to postpone visits to Hong Kong and Southern China.

Although the SARS situation appeared to have stabilised at the end of last month, passenger numbers did not show much improvement in early May.

The authority said the short-term outlook remains negative due largely to uncertainty over progress in combating SARS on the Mainland.

Authority Chief Executive Officer David Pang said: "It is still too early to say that we are past the lowest point in terms of the impact of SARS on our business. However, in close co-operation with all our airport business partners, we are fully engaged in rebuilding passenger confidence and regaining our flows. We are also very determined to overcome whatever challenges may yet face us."

Workers have stepped up their hygiene and cleanliness efforts at the airport, and been asked to take their temperature before reporting for duty each day.

Meanwhile, air cargo at the airport has increased 3.1% year-on-year to 203,000 tonnes, driven mainly by growth in export markets such as Taiwan and Europe. Cargo aircraft movements grew by 25.1%, largely to make up for the loss of cargo capacity resulting from the cancellation of so many passenger flights.