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.
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.
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.
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.
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.” ✈