HONG KONG. Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) passenger traffic climbed by +3.3% year-on-year in 2017 to almost 72.9 million, a new annual record.
The year ended strongly, with passenger volumes rising by +4.3% compared to December 2016, reaching 6.4 million. A healthy +7% year-on-year increase in transfer/transit traffic and a +6% jump in Hong Kong resident travel helped drive growth. Passenger traffic to and from the Chinese Mainland and Japan recorded the most significant increases by market.
HKIA traffic was buoyed by the addition of 13 new airlines during 2017: Air Seoul, Hong Kong Air Cargo Carrier, JC (Cambodia) International Airlines, Lanmei Airlines (Cambodia), Virgin Australia, Air Japan, Air Cargo Global, CargoLogicAir, Cambodia Angkor Air, Small Planet Airlines, National Air Cargo, Sky Gates Airlines and Western Global Airlines.
The airport’s network also expanded, with 17 new routes introduced in the year. These included Baotou, Zhangjiajie, Huangshan, Yuncheng, Taitung, Komatsu, Sendai, Toowoomba, Christchurch, Yekaterinburg, Frankfurt (Hahn), Prague, London Stansted, Verona, Warsaw, Indianapolis and Sihanoukville. HKIA now serves over 220 destinations worldwide.
Airport Authority Hong Kong CEO Fred Lam said: “HKIA is stepping into its 20th anniversary this year, and we are pushing ahead with development projects to further enhance our passenger and cargo services. Keeping pace with ever-changing traveller dynamics and technological innovations, we will continue to incorporate new technologies into our daily operations to provide a world-class, smart airport experience to travellers.”
