Air Traffic Recovery Continues in 2023 as December Sees New Heights

(HONG KONG, 22 January 2024, 1800hrs) – Air Traffic at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) continued to recover in 2023 as passenger numbers and flight movements both reached new post-pandemic heights in December, according to figures released by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) today.

During the year, HKIA handled 40 million passengers and 276,000 flight movements, representing increases of around 600% and 100% respectively compared to 2022. Total cargo throughput saw an annual growth of 3.2% to 4.3 million tonnes.

For the month of December 2023, passenger volume increased 1.7 times to 4.3 million year on year. Daily passenger volume recovered to 80% of the pre-pandemic level during the Christmas peak. All passenger segments experienced significant growth compared to the same month last year, with traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China and Taiwan recording the most significant increases. Flight movements in December rose year on year by 89% to 30,000, exceeding 80% of the pre-pandemic level.

Cargo throughput during the month increased by 19.3% year on year to 418,000 tonnes, with a 33.4% increase recorded in exports. Traffic to and from key trading regions in North America, the Middle East and Europe saw the most substantial increases.

Passenger traffic at HKIA is expected to fully recover to the pre-pandemic level by the end of 2024.