HONG KONG, 5 February 2025: Traffic at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw strong growth in 2024 as the airport entered a new era of three-runway operation. Flight movements in December rose year-on-year by 12.5% to 33,550.
It was close to the pre-pandemic level, but individual daily flight movements exceeded that level, setting a new record.
In December 2024, passenger volume increased 18.3% year-on-year to 5.1 million. All passenger segments experienced significant growth compared to the same month last year, with traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China, and Japan recording the most significant increases.
Cargo throughput in December 2024 increased by 6.6% year on year to 446,000 tonnes, with a 6.8% increase in exports. Traffic to and from key trading regions in Europe, the Middle East and Australasia saw the most substantial gains. The rise in cargo traffic in 2024 was mainly attributed to exports, which was up 20.2% compared with 2023, and the most significant increases were recorded in traffic to and from key trading regions in Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) Acting Chief Executive Officer Vivian Cheung said: “2024 was a rewarding year for HKIA. We commissioned the Three-runway System in November, on time and within budget, and was crowned the world’s busiest cargo airport for the 13th time since 2010. We had a busy Christmas period and are preparing for another peak during the Chinese New Year holidays as we see airlines adding many flights to meet the high demand.”
During the year, HKIA handled 53.1 million passengers and 363,305 flight movements, representing increases of around 34.3% and 31.6%, respectively, compared to 2023. Total cargo throughput for 2024 saw an annual growth of 14.0% to 4.9 million tonnes.
HKIA expanded its extensive air traffic network with several new destinations and flight routes added in January 2025. HK Express launched a new route to Sendai, while Hong Kong Airlines resumed direct flights to Vancouver and Gold Coast. Shenzhen Airlines launched a new service to Nanjing, while a new passenger airline, Air Premia, is starting to operate flights between Hong Kong and Seoul.
As the new year began, HKIA received several prestigious awards. At the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) Hong Kong 40th Anniversary Cocktail Reception, AAHK received the Prestigious Infrastructure Project in Hong Kong award for the Three-runway System project.
The awards complement the completed outstanding transportation infrastructure projects that greatly benefited mobility in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, HKIA was named “International Airport of the Year” and “Innovative Airport of the Year” at the 2024 Sky Choice Travel Awards organised by CAAC Inflight Magazine, the official inflight publication of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
