Hong Kong International Airport passenger traffic resurgence quickens

HONG KONG, CHINA. Passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport in February reached 2.15 million, up some +2,392.2% over the low base in the same month last year.

The encouraging and accelerating recovery saw February passenger volumes reach 36.5% of the pre-pandemic 5,885,000 recorded in February 2019. While on the one hand underlining the devastating impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the figures also highlight the exciting upside that is fast taking shape for Hong Kong’s aviation, tourism and travel retail sectors. Hong Kong International Airport is hosting this year’s Trinity Forum (25-26 October), the world’s leading airport commercial revenues event.

Flight movements in the month rose +95.7% 16,305.

A Cathay Pacific Airways flight touches down at Hong Kong International Airport on 25 March. The airline predicted last week it would reach 50% of pre-pandemic flight capacity by the end of March {Photo: ©Martin Moodie}

Revealing the figures yesterday, Airport Authority Hong Kong said due to the relaxation of travel restrictions, all passenger segments – and particularly Hong Kong residents – experienced significant growth compared to the same month last year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the biggest increases.

Take-off time at Hong Kong International Airport: While the figures remain well short of pre-pandemic levels, the trajectory is encouraging

Over the first two months of the year, Hong Kong International Airport served 4.2 million passengers, marking an increase of around 26 times compared to the same period in 2022. Flight movements registered an approximate +60% year-on-year increase to 32,520.

Sign of the times: Everywhere at Hong Kong International Airport there is encouraging evidence of passenger traffic recovery. The arrivals zone flight information screen tells a very different story from a year ago {All photos: ©Martin Moodie}.
Passengers arriving at the Hong Kong gateway in late March
Airport advertising has been quick to rebound with international brands such as Prada seizing the many high-impact opportunities offered by JCDecaux
The Duty Zero by cdf arrivals store, shuttered for so long during the pandemic, is now proving a popular stopping point

Flight movements and passenger volume have been increasing amid a continued resumption of routes in recent months. Yesterday (26 March), direct flights between Hong Kong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport resumed, with three daily flights to Hongqiao initially. Hongqiao Airport had suspended all international inbound and outbound flights since March 2020 due to the pandemic.

HKIA has a close partnership with Hongqiao Airport. Since 2009, a joint venture between Airport Authority Hong Kong and the Shanghai Airport Authority has managed the terminal operations and retail businesses at the Shanghai hub.

The airside perspective is similarly encouraging with luxury stores such as the Chanel duplex pictured above doing good business
Caviar House & Prunier recently reopened, reflecting the accelerating passenger traffic recovery
Anchor stores such as Beauty&You from The Shilla Duty Free are also seeing a steady pick-up in sales

Note: Airport Authority Hong Kong has been included in Sustainalytics’ ‘2023 Top-Rated ESG Companies List’ for its outstanding environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Sustainalytics, an independent ESG research and ratings firm, identifies the top performers globally based on its ESG Risk Ratings – which cover more than 15,000 companies across various industries – and has recognised Airport Authority Hong Kong as one of the top 50 companies in the ‘Regional Top-Rated’ category.

Airport Authority Hong Kong Executive Director, Finance Julian Lee said, “We are honoured to receive the recognition, which underscores our tireless efforts to achieve sustainability goals. Apart from integrating ESG considerations at all levels of our operations, AAHK is also a pioneer of green finance. Our Sustainable Finance Framework and green bonds issuance demonstrated our commitment to developing HKIA into one of the world’s greenest airports.” ✈


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