HKIA leads soaring air traffic recovery in December 2023

Monday, January 22, 2024

In December, the Air Traffic at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) marked a significant rebound in the ongoing recovery from the pandemic, with both passenger numbers and flight movements reaching unprecedented post-pandemic highs, as per the latest data released by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK).

Throughout the year, HKIA managed 40 million passengers and 276,000 flight movements, showcasing impressive increases of approximately 600% and 100%, respectively, compared to the previous year. The total cargo throughput exhibited an annual growth of 3.2%, reaching 4.3 million tonnes.

For December 2023 specifically, passenger volume surged 1.7 times year on year to 4.3 million, with daily passenger volume bouncing back to 80% of the pre-pandemic levels during the peak Christmas period. All passenger segments witnessed substantial growth compared to the same month in the prior year, with notable increases in traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China, and Taiwan. Flight movements in December experienced a year-on-year rise of 89%, reaching 30,000 and surpassing 80% of the pre-pandemic levels.

Cargo throughput in December saw a noteworthy increase of 19.3% year on year, totaling 418,000 tonnes, with exports recording a remarkable 33.4% surge. Notably, traffic to and from key trading regions in North America, the Middle East, and Europe exhibited the most substantial increases.

The outlook for HKIA is optimistic, with passenger traffic anticipated to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024.

« Back to Page

• Mumbai Airport sees reduced flight delays, improved air traffic by ministry of civil aviation

• easyJet soars with iris: Transforming air traffic communication

• NAV CANADA’s December 2023 traffic up by 8.3%

• Passengers to face the brunt of air traffic strike

• Air traffic recovery continues strong in August