Big monthly upturn in traffic at Hong Kong International Airport

Traffic numbers continue to rise at Hong Kong International Airport as it recovery from the global pandemic gathers pace.

Figures released by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) today show that 4.07 million passengers and 29,855 aircraft movements were handled at the airport in May, upturns of 30.8% and 34.5% respectively on the corresponding month a year ago.

According to AAHK, mainland China’s Labour Day ‘Golden Week’ holidays starting at the end of April had contributed a significant traffic growth among all passenger segments in May.

Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China, and Japan recorded the most notable boosts during the month.

Cargo throughput saw a year-on-year increase of 19% to 416,000 tonnes in May. HKG has continued to record double-digit year-on-year growth in cargo volume each month this year.

Export traffic remains the main driver of the growth, recording a 30.1% increase compared with the same month last year.

Among key trading regions, cargo traffic to and from North America, Europe and the Middle East increased most significantly during the month.

The latest figures mean that in the first five months of this year, the airport handled 21 million passengers or 58.9% higher than the low base during the same period in 2023.

Flight movements also increased 50.5% year-on-year to 145,140, while cargo volume rose by 18.0% year-on-year to more than 1.9 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume was 47.3 million, marking an increase of 157.9% comparing with the previous comparable period. Air traffic movements increased by 76.3% year on year to 324,805, as cargo throughput also grew 13.1% year-on-year to 4.6 million tonnes.

In terms of route development, HK Express Airways inaugurated a new direct flight service linking HKIA and Sanya Phoenix International Airport, Hainan on May 10. With four pairs of flights each week, the new route provides more choices for travellers visiting Hainan.