HKIA marks robust increase in passenger and cargo traffic in April

2024-05-29

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) today released the air traffic figures for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for April 2024. During the month, HKIA handled 4.23 million passengers and 29,055 flight movements, marking year-on-year increases of 35.9% and 34.7%, respectively.

The significant growth was supported by the long Easter holidays starting at the end of March, which drove higher traffic among all passenger segments. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China and Japan recorded the biggest increases during the month.

Cargo throughput registered a year-on-year increase of 13.9% to 394,000 tonnes in April. HKIA has continued to record double-digit year-on-year growth in cargo volume each month this year. Export again contributed most to this increase, growing by 24.7% compared to the same month last year. Among key trading regions, cargo traffic to and from North America, Europe and Taiwan recorded the largest increases during the month.

For the first four months of the year, the airport handled 16.9 million passengers, marking an increase of 67.5% compared to the low base during the same period in 2023. Flight movements registered a year-on-year increase of 55.3% to 115,285. Cargo volume rose by 17.7% year-on-year to more than 1.5 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume was 46.3 million, or 200.9% higher than the previous comparable period. Flight movements and cargo throughput saw year-on-year increases of 83.9% and 11.0% to 317,150 and 4.6 million tonnes, respectively.

Moreover, Hong Kong Airlines launched a new direct flight service connecting HKIA and Vientiane Wattay International Airport, Laos in April. The airline operates a pair of flights each week.

Vivian Cheung, Chief Operating Officer of AAHK, said, “We are glad that one of our home-based carriers has launched a new direct flight service between Hong Kong and Vientiane, the first to Laos after the pandemic. Strategically located at the centre of Southeast Asia, Laos is an important member of the Belt and Road Initiative. Both business travellers and tourists are expected to benefit from this further extension of HKIA’s air network to Laos.”