The Hong Kong International Airport handled 4.86 million passengers in September, a 10.2 percent increase from the same period a year ago, according to the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK).

Flight movements in September also grew 7 percent year-on-year to 32,175 while cargo volume rose by 6.3 percent to 433,000 tons, the AAHK said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said overall passenger growth was primarily due to transfer/transit passengers, which logged a double-digit increase, while visitors grew 5 percent from last year.

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Most regional markets recorded increases, with the strongest contribution from the Chinese mainland, while a decline in the Middle East continued to ease, it added.

The AAHK said the growth in cargo in September was led by transshipments and imports, which increased by 26.9 percent and 9.2 percent, respectively.

It said Southeast Asia and the mainland were the main growth drivers, offsetting the decline in volume in Europe following the removal of the EU's duty-free de minimis exemption in July.

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Over the first three quarters of the year, HKIA handled 49.1 million passengers, while flight movements reached 302,075, representing year-on-year increases of 10.1 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively, the AAHK said, adding that cargo volume rose 3.1 percent year-on-year to 3.78 million tons.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger throughput increased 11.5 percent year-on-year to 65.4 million, while flight movements rose 4.9 percent to 405,945. Cargo throughput grew 3.3 percent year-on-year to 5.18 million tons, the airport authority said.