HK airport passenger volume increases 24-fold in April

Hong Kong International Airport handled 3.1 million passengers in April, marking a year-on-year surge of around 24 times, according to the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK).

In a statement, the AAHK said flight movements more than doubled to 21,545 compared to the same month last year, while cargo throughput declined by 7.7 percent to 347,000 tonnes.

"Following the resumption of normal travel, passenger volume and flight at HKIA have been picking up gradually. In April, on average the airport handled over 100,000 passengers and 700 flights per day respectively, representing 50 percent and 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels," Steven Yiu, Executive Director, Airport Operations of AAHK, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"We are excited that air traffic continues to increase, and we look forward to welcoming more travelers to Hong Kong or making use of our wide network for transferring to different destinations," he added.

The AAHK said all passenger segments experienced significant growth last month, especially Hong Kong residents. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, the Chinese mainland, and Japan recorded the most significant increases.

Over the first four months of the year, the airport handled 10.1 million passengers, an increase of around 26 times compared to the same period in 2022. Flight movements increased by 83.1 percent year-on-year to 74,200, while cargo volume dropped by 6.7 percent to 1.3 million tonnes, the AAHK said.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume increased year-on-year by more than nine times to 15.4 million, while flight movements rose 19.3 percent to 172,395. Cargo throughput saw a decrease of 16.4 percent to 4.1 million tonnes.

To meet rising demand, airlines operating at HKIA have been expanding their networks by adding more destinations, such as those in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, and increasing the frequency of services. New flight routes have been also launched, including a direct service between Urumqi and Hong Kong.