Hong Kong, March 26 : The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said on Sunday that passenger traffic at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) registered around 2.1 million last month, marking a year-on-year surge of around 24 times. In February, cargo volume and flight movements saw year-on-year increases of 6.7 per cent and 95.7 per cent to 290,000 tonnes and 16,305, respectively, Xinhua News Agency reported. Due to the relaxation of travel restrictions, all passenger segments experienced significant growths, particularly Hong Kong residents, compared to the same month last year, according to the AAHK. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the most significant increases, it said. Global economic uncertainties continued to have an impact on cargo volume, the AAHK said, adding that the year-on-year increase in cargo volume last month was mainly attributed to a low base for comparison with that of February 2022. Transshipments and exports rose 46 percent and 3 percent year-on-year respectively, and the Middle East, the Chinese mainland and North America saw the most significant growth in terms of cargo volume. The AAHK said direct flights between the HKIA and the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport resumed on Sunday, with three daily flights to Hongqiao initially. Flight movements and passenger volume have been going up as flights on more routes continued to resume in recent months, it said. /IANS