Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has released the air traffic figures of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for June 2023, during which passenger traffic remained on a steady course towards recovery. HKIA handled 3.3 million passengers in June, representing 6.9% growth compared with the passenger throughput in May. Cargo throughput and flight movements saw month-on-month increases of 1.4% and 0.7% to 355,000 tonnes and 22,365, respectively.

Compared with the same month in 2022, passenger volume and flight movements increased over 10 times and doubled, respectively. All passenger segments experienced significant growth year-on-year, with traffic to and from Southeast Asia, Mainland China and Japan recording the most significant increases.

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Cargo volume continued to be impacted by global economic uncertainties. Cargo throughput in June declined 2.2% year-on-year, with a 22.8% decline in imports. Traffic to and from key trading regions in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Japan showed the most significant decreases.

Over the first half of the year, the airport handled 16.5 million passengers and 118,780 flight movements, representing increases of over 18 times and 91%, respectively, from a low base during the same period in 2022. Cargo volume declined by 5.4% year-on-year to 2.0 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume at HKIA soared year-on-year by more than 10 times to 21.4 million, while flight movements rose by 35.5% to 195,365. Cargo throughput saw a decrease of 15.5% to 4.1 million tonnes.

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Steven Yiu, Executive Director, Airport Operations of AAHK, said, “Passenger traffic at HKIA has recovered to about 60% of pre-pandemic levels, and saw a peak of over 127,000 passengers on 25 June – a record high after the pandemic. With the steady recovery of air traffic, we are pleased to welcome new airlines operating at HKIA and see that existing airlines add new flight routes. HKIA is working closely with airlines and other business partners to welcome more passengers during the summer travel season, and to reinforce the airport’s status as an international aviation hub.”

HKIA recently welcomed a new passenger airline, Royal Air Philippines, operating a new flight route connecting Hong Kong and the Philippines. The airline has been operating three flights a week to and from Caticlan since 9 July. In addition, a new destination – Nantong in Jiangsu Province, Mainland China – has been added to further expand HKIA’s extensive air network.