HONG KONG, CHINA. Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) served over 53 million passengers in 2024, an increase of +34.3% compared to the previous year.
The figures, however, remain -26% lower than the passenger volume in pre-pandemic 2019.
This surge in passenger numbers was accompanied by a rise in flight movements, which reached 363,305, up +31.6% year-on-year.
The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) attributed the sharp growth to the travel hub entering a new phase with its three-runway operation.
In December, flight movements soared +12.5%, totalling 33,550, nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels – individual daily flights surpassed pre-pandemic numbers and set a new record.
During the month, 5.1 million passengers travelled through the airport, representing a +18.3 increase from the same month in 2023.
The airport authority highlighted strong growth across all passenger segments last month, with the most notable increases in traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China and Japan.
AAHK Acting Chief Executive Officer Vivian Cheung said: “2024 was a fruitful and rewarding year for HKIA. We commissioned the Three-runway System in November, on time and within budget, and were 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 a significant number of flights to meet the high demand.”
The airport has expanded its global network this month to new destinations served by several airlines. These include HK Express, which has introduced a new flight route to Sendai; while Hong Kong Airlines reinstated direct services to Vancouver and Gold Coast.
Shenzhen Airlines launched a route to Nanjing, while new passenger airline Air Premia debuted flights connecting Hong Kong and Seoul. ✈
