Hong Kong Int. Airport Reports December and Full Year 2021 Traffic

(27 Jan 2022)  Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled 1.4 million passengers and 144,815 flights in 2021, year-on-year declines of 84.7% and 9.9%, respectively.

In December 2021, HKIA handled 154,000 passengers and 14,515 flights, increases of 70% and 14.7%, respectively, with outbound transfer passengers from Mainland China recording significant increases compared to the same month in 2020.

Cargo throughput in the year rose by 12.5% year-on-year to 5 million tonnes, exceeding the 4.8 million tonnes recorded in 2019, the year before the outbreak of COVID19.

Cathay Pacific B747F taking off from HKIA. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

The number of cargo flights surged to an all-time record of 82,935, a year-on-year increase of 19.8%. Monthly cargo throughput also reached a new monthly high in November 2021.

The strong momentum of peak cargo demand in November 2021 carried into December despite flight reductions due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

In December 2021, HKIA handled 477,000 tonnes of cargo, representing year-on-year growth of 8.6%.

The growth in cargo throughput in December was mainly attributed to 18% year-on-year growth in transshipments. Imports and exports both experienced 7% growth.

Cargo to and from Southeast Asia experienced the most significant increases during the month.