Hong Kong Airlines Ltd expects to transport about 6 million passengers this year despite the drop in the number of visitors to Hong Kong, a top official said.

The carrier's average load factor during the first six months of the year was 82 percent, compared with 78 percent in the same period of 2014, said Sun Jianfeng, executive vice-president of Hong Kong Airlines.

The number will be much higher in the second half, the peak season for the civil aviation industry, Sun said.