Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) released its air traffic statistics for March 2026. During the month, the airport handled 5.74 million passengers and 34,100 flight movements, representing year-on-year increases of 19.6% and 2.7% respectively. In addition, Hong Kong secures four places in the global top ten busiest international airline routes announced in April 2026, led by the Hong Kong-Taipei route, which ranked first.
The passenger growth was mainly driven by a double-digit increase in transfer/ transit passengers and visitors. The recent tension in the Middle East resulted in notable growth in the traffic to/ from Europe. Meanwhile, traffic to/ from Southeast Asia and the Chinese Mainland continued to build momentum.
Cargo volume decreased by 4.4% to 430,000 tonnes compared with March 2025. The decline was primarily driven by a 14.9% year‑on‑year drop in exports due to a steep 62.1% reduction in exports to the Middle East following regional tensions. On the other hand, imports and transhipment posted year‑on‑year increases of 6.5% and 19.5% respectively, partially offsetting the downturn in exports. By regions, cargo traffic to/ from Europe saw some growth, partially tempering the drop of the cargo traffic to/ from the Middle East and North America.
Over the first quarter of the year, passenger traffic at HKIA exceeded 16.67 million while flight movements reached 100,645, representing year-on-year growth of 14.3% and 4.9%, respectively. Cargo volume rose by 3.3% year on year to 1.21 million tonnes.
On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume experienced a double-digit increase of 14.8% to 63.05 million, while flight movements rose by 7.1% to 399,450. Cargo throughput grew by 2.7% to 5.10 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, OAG, a provider of flight data and analysis services, revealed the global top ten busiest international passenger flight routes in April 2026, among which four connect with HKIA. Hong Kong-Taipei route is again ranked as the busiest while Hong Kong-Bangkok, Hong Kong-Manila and Hong Kong-Seoul/ICN routes make it to the 6th, 7th and 9th places respectively. In other news, HKIA was awarded the prestigious title of “World’s Best Airport 2026” in the World Business Outlook Awards 2026 for its world-class efficiency, exceptional service and outstanding facilities.
Vivian Cheung, Chief Executive Officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), said, “We are delighted that four Hong Kong routes rank among the world’s ten busiest international passenger flight routes and that Hong Kong has been named the ‘World’s Best Airport 2026’. These highlight global recognitions of the airport community’s collective efforts and HKIA’s strength as a leading aviation hub. Looking ahead, we will leverage the Three-runway System to expand HKIA’s aviation network, upgrade airport services, and strengthen Hong Kong’s position as the hub in Asia.”
