HONG KONG -- Boosted by burgeoning demand during the summer holiday period, Hong Kong International Airport sustained the upward momentum in passenger numbers to reach a new high of 5.2 million in August and reported a year-on-year growth of 3.9 percent, the Airport Authority announced Sunday.

Flight movements hit a record of 30,470 as well, up 5.2 percent compared to the same period last year, said the authority.

Cargo volume also grew by 3 percent to 328,000 tonnes as the airport approaches the busier months before the end of this year.

The authority said the growth in passenger traffic in August was primarily driven by a 7-percent increase in visitors over the year before. Passenger numbers to and from South East Asia and Japan performed particularly well.

Airport Authority Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said it is very encouraging to see both passenger traffic and flight movements reach new heights at the airport.

"We anticipate a steady growth trend in coming months as travel usually peaks at the end of the year, and in particular, during major festivals or holidays such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day Golden Week."

For the first eight months of the year, the authority handled 37.9 million passengers and processed 2.6 million tonnes of cargo, representing a growth of 5.6 percent and 0.2 percent from a year earlier.