HONG KONG, 27 April 2023: Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) released traffic figures for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for March 2023.
During the month, HKIA handled 2.8 million passengers, more than 28 times the amount recorded in March 2022, and 372,000 tonnes of cargo, representing year-on-year growth of 5.8%. Flight movements in March more than doubled year on year to 20,130.
Average daily passenger traffic increased steadily over the first three weeks of April. HKIA has handled approximately 100,000 per day, reaching 50% of pre-pandemic levels.
Passenger demand continued to improve in March 2023 after the lifting of travel restrictions. All passenger segments experienced significant growth compared to the same month last year, including a strong performance by Hong Kong residents. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China and Japan saw the largest increases.
Cargo remained impacted by global economic uncertainties. Although cargo volume grew year on year in March 2023, this was primarily due to the low base for comparison set during the same month last year following pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. Exports grew by 19% year on year. Traffic to and from key trading regions in North America, the Middle East and Europe saw the most significant increases during the month.
Over the year’s first three months, HKIA handled 7.0 million passengers, nearly 27 times more than in 2022. Flight movements registered a year-on-year increase of 74.2% to 52,650. Cargo volume decreased by 6.3% to 950,000 tonnes.
On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume rose to 12.4 million, representing a 7.7-fold increase over the previous comparable period. Flight movements saw an 11.5% increase to 161,160, while cargo throughput decreased by 16% to 4.1 million tonnes.
In other news, HKIA was recently awarded Level 4, “Transformation”, in Airports Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme, recognising the airport’s firm commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and its achievements in carbon management.
Launched in 2009, ACA is the only institutionally endorsed global carbon management certification standard for airports. It was established to help the airport industry benefit from shared expertise, achieve lower energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions.
AAHK general manager, Sustainability Peter Lee said: “We are honoured to receive ACA Level 4 accreditation, which underscores our tireless efforts in carbon management. We pledge to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050, with a midpoint target of 55% in absolute emissions reduction by 2035 from a 2018 baseline.”
