Passenger Volume Continues to Grow at HKIA in January

(HONG KONG, 19 February 2023, 1000hrs)  –  Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) today announced the air traffic figures of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for January 2023. During the month, passenger throughput at HKIA registered around 2.1 million, marking a year-on-year surge of around 28 times. HKIA handled over 80,000 passengers daily at peak, representing around 40% of pre-pandemic levels. Flight movements saw a year-on-year increase of 34.9% to 16,215, while cargo throughput dropped 26.4% to 288,000 tonnes compared to the same month last year.

Due to the relaxation of travel restrictions, all passenger segments experienced significant growths, particularly Hong Kong residents, compared to the same month last year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the most significant increases. Strong passenger demand was observed in the second half of the month due to the Chinese New Year holiday. The re-opening of the Mainland market to international travel also drove a recovery in passenger traffic between Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Cargo volume was still impacted by the global economic uncertainties. Mainland factory closures during the Chinese New Year holiday led to year-on-year decreases in import and export cargo of 36% and 33%, respectively. Southeast Asia, Taiwan, North America, and Europe saw significant decreases in terms of cargo volume during the month.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume increased year on year by 466.0% to 7.6 million. Flight movements and cargo throughput saw declines of 1.7% and 18.2% to 142,920 and 4.1 million tonnes respectively.

Meanwhile, AAHK clinched five accolades at the “TVB ESG Awards 2022”, including the “Outstanding ESG Award”, “Best in ESG Practices”, “Best in ESG Report”, “ESG Project Innovation Award” and “Innovative Climate Technology Award”. Presented by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), the awards recognise companies for outstanding performance in environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.

Peter Lee, General Manager, Sustainability of AAHK, said, “We are honoured to receive these awards in recognition of our dedicated efforts in promoting sustainable growth. While taking forward various development projects under the Airport City blueprint, we are giving sustainability high priority in various aspects, such as setting carbon reduction targets and adopting green building designs. We will continue to work with the airport community to achieve our goal of becoming one of the world’s greenest airports.”