Airport Authority Releases 2019 Air Traffic Figures for Hong Kong International Airport

(HONG KONG, 19 January 2020)  –  Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) today announced that Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled 71.5 million passengers and 419,730 flight movements in 2019. The figures represent decreases of 4.2% in passenger volume and 1.9% in flight movements, respectively, compared to 2018. Total cargo throughput declined 6.1% year on year to 4.8 million tonnes.

Despite the challenging business environment, HKIA continued to receive awards in recognition of its services, being recognised as a Travel Hall of Fame honorary at the TTG Travel Awards 2019 once again, named "Freighter Hub of the Year 2019" at the Cargo Airline of the Year awards organised by Air Cargo News, and awarded the “World’s Best Airport Dining” honour by Skytrax.

During the year, HKIA’s extensive air network was expanded by 17 new destinations – including Beijing Daxing International Airport, Borg El Arab, Dover Cheswold, Doncaster, Guwahati, Hefei, Istanbul Ataturk Airport, Jieyang, Labuan, Nagasaki, Niigata, Phu Quoc, Puerto Princesa, Shimojishima, Yangzhou, Yekaterinburg and Yinchuan.

HKIA registered 33,990 flight movements in December 2019, an 8.4% year-on-year decrease. Passenger volume declined 12.5% to 5.7 million while cargo throughput decreased slightly by 1% to 443,000 tonnes compared to December 2018.

Passenger volume continued to be affected by weak visitor traffic in December 2019. Passenger figures to and from Mainland China and Southeast Asia experienced the most significant decreases during the month. However, transfer / transit traffic and Hong Kong resident travel registered strong year-on-year growth of 14% and 9%, respectively.

Exports saw a 3% year-on-year increase in December 2019 while imports and transshipments both remained weak. Amongst key trading regions, cargo exported to Europe, India and Japan contributed the most growth.

Vivian Cheung, Executive Director of Airport Operations for the AA, said, “We went through a challenging year in 2019. I must thank the 78,000 members of the airport community for their dedication to ensuring smooth, safe journeys for our passengers, especially in difficult circumstances. 

“Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance the airport’s facilities to improve the passenger experience at HKIA even more,” Mrs Cheung added. “Following the commissioning of the Terminal 1 (T1) extension and the revamp of the East Hall food court in 2019, our enhancements of T1 will continue with gate transformation, the commissioning of Sky Bridge and the extension of Car Park 4. HKIA will always emphasise passenger-centric features to provide a vibrant, world-class experience for travellers.”